A Sick And Twisted Game
by SkyLandOcean
Summary: Sequel to ELEV. Eight of our fave people are transported to Katana, a world where they are obsessed with gameshows. Forced to compete against another team, they are anxiously awaiting rescue. Will Axel and his pals get there in time to save some lives? OC
1. SuperHappyLaserFunDeathTime!

Welcome to the sequel to Emitte Lucem Et Veritatem, "A Sick And Twisted Game"! If you would like to read this, you'll have to read the prequels first. Start at "The Newest, Youngest, Hippest Organization XIII", move along to "We Are Family", then read "Glorious Advance" (A tributesequel to We Are Family written by Firestorm Studios. It's set after this one, however.) and then to "Emitte Lucem Et Veritatem", and THEN this.

I hope you all like it! I took inspiration from movies such as Tron (Okay, okay, I've never seen it, but I've played the Space Paranoids level in Kingdom Hearts Two. Close enough.), Doctor Who, the soccer table we got for Christmas, our visit to Quasar recently, and my own imagination! 

I figured that The Newest, Youngest Hippest Organization XIII had Sora, Sola, and the new Organization at the centre, We Are Family had Sola, Sora, Itsuru (That isn't his real name, but anyone who hasn't read the prequels will have them spoilt if I put it here.), Ares, Xolas and Lixnus at the centre. Then, Emitte Lucem Et Veritatem had Ares, Itsuru, Raydran and Loki at the centre. Time for a change of pace.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, but I DO own your souls! MUAHAHAHAHA!

* * *

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_"Urgh..." Xolas made a weak sound as she turned her head. She was sprawled out on the ground, in a dark room lit by green and red neon tubing. She could see the outline of Roxas nearby, and after about one minute managed to make out some of his facial features, as her eyes adjusted to what little light they were provided with. _

_"Roxas..." _

_Roxas remained silent, which worried Xolas. She had quite a worrisome nature, but she needn't fret. A couple of seconds after her speaking, Roxas raised himself up on an elbow, and squinted in the dark. He could hear breathing from the seven other people in the room. Selphie and Serena were nearby, the former with her back against the wall and her head slumped down onto her chest. Serena was laid on her back, one arm beneath her head and the other draped across her stomach. _

_Wakka, Tidus and Landusoi were three-four metres in the opposite direction, laid out in random posistions. Suddenly, a loud and cheerful voice came from nowhere._

_"Hi! I'm Larry, and I'll be your GamesMaster for today!" There was a screen on the wall nearby, and Larry was a chirpy thin bloke with a crew cut. That was where his voice came from._

_"What?" said Selphie, raising her head. Xolas sat up, and noticed that on her wrist was a contraption of some sort, with a green neon screen and the number twenty displayed on it. Everyone else had one too._

_"What the hell is this thing?" she demanded, angrily. Xolas marched up to the screen. "And who the hell might you be, matey?"_

_"Ooh, we got a feisty one in this lot! Does anyone remember what happened to the last girl who yelled at me?"_

_They then heard a group of people yell: "She got fried!"_

_"Okay, wiseguy," said Roxas, coming up and standing next to his sister. "What exactly do you want from us?" He folded his arms, and glared at the camera above the screen, which was sending an image back to Larry, and by the sounds of it, an audience._

_"SuperHappyLaserFunDeathTime!"_

_The group were alarmed when the walls came up, revealing a much larger screen. Stood nearby were eight other people with red doohickeys on their wrists. They ranged from the ages of twelve to seventeen, and all looked equally frightened. Larry gave them more instructions..._

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

Zoe butted in, stopping Larry from talking. "What do you think you're doing? No one messes with us."

One of the boys nearby told her to shut up. 

"What?"

"You'll get yourself killed." he said quietly.

_"The boy's right. We'll delete your entire team if you don't shut it."_

"The BOY has a name. It's Tom, for Christ's sake!"

_"Whatever."_

"Delete?" asked Roxas. 

_"Read the rules."_

The screen changed from Larry to a green background, with five golden interlocked stars forming a symbol. Next to it, it said: _"RealiTV presents 'GamesMaster'!"_

"RealiTV? This is on television? Cool!" said Tidus.

"No kid, it is NOT cool." spoke a girl, in an Irish accent. She had shoulder length, curly blonde hair with red streaks in it. Her grey eyes looked at the group, as if checking out their weaknesses. She looked to be seventeen.

"How come?"

"Hehehe, he said 'come'!"

"Shut up, Redmond!" She pointed at the wristband she was wearing. "Do you see the number on this?"

"Twenty. Yeah, why?" asked Xolas. She looked at her own.

"These are our lives. We are given twenty, and when we lose them all we are deleted; i.e shot."

"How do you know this? Who are you guys, anyway?" asked Serena.

"I'm Emmeleine and this is Tom, Henry, Tim, Kretowicz, Peggy, Redmond and Keye. Just read the rules and you'll be okay."

Tom was about 5"9' tall, with extremely dark brown hair. It could easily be mistaken for black, if it weren't for him being stood right next to a lava lamp. He had blue eyes, and his hair reached the bottom of his neck. He was wearing the same as everyone on his team, a red tshirt with some glow sticks sewn into the collar. It would make it easier to determine whether he was a friend or foe in dark conditions. He was wearing casual jeans and trainers, the only part of clothing which wasn't uniform.

Henry had blonde-brown hair, which was cut neatly so that it didn't go past the top of his neck. He was the shortest of the boys, at around about 5"1'. He had brown eyes, and stared up at the screen, possibly wondering how long it would be before they were subjected to another "Challenge" on this degrading and stupid TV show.

Tim was just an inch shorter than Tom, and looked like he'd be able to catch up easily. His blonde hair reached halfway down his neck, and his blue eyes searched the room. He was wearing some track pants, which would be easy to run around in.

"Hehehehe! Larry has a boogie!" he said, pointing.

"Shut up! You're such a moron. This is hardly the situation for your antics." said Emmeleine. He immediately quietened.

Peggy was definetly the tallest, coming in at 6"1'. He had brown eyes, which complimented his jet-black hair, cut in a short style. He was being very quiet at the moment, possibly due to the seriousness of the situation.

Kretowicz had light brown hair which was neatly combed. He stood at around 5"8' with blue eyes, and was currently stood still with his arms folded and scanning the room with his eyes. There was nothing interesting, so he just turned and talked to Tom quietly.

Redmond was the second shortest of the boys. His hair was a cross of brown-blonde and his ceruelan eyes were focused on the screen. He was nervously cracking his fingers, causing Emmeleine to grimace at the awful noise.

Emmeleine was quite a tall girl, at 5"11'. Her curly blonde hair reached her shoulders, and five bright red highlights ran through it. Her cloudy grey eyes were looking at her pale hands, which she had linked together and entwined her fingers, as she awaited the announcement of their next "Fun Activity" As if. She was glaring at Redmond, and finally raised a fist to silence him. He simply stepped away and stuck his tongue out at her.

Finally, Keye. She was about twelve years of age with white hair. The red and green neon cast their colours across it, highlighting her heart-shaped face. Amongst this white, she had two black streaks, in two pieces of her fringe which hung on either side of her face. She had bright red eyes, standing out from her pale face. She was sickly thin, as if she hadn't eaten in days, with her red shirt loose around her. A piece of blue cord hung from her neck, but the pendant was beneath her shirt. Keye looked very sick indeed. Roxas thought that he could pick her up if he tried. She was even shorter than Demetrix, at 4"11'. 

Emmeleine was stood quite close to her, as if protecting her. It was clear that she thought herself the leader of her group. 

They all switched the attentions to the screen, and Roxas read the rules aloud.

"'1. On your wrist is a band. It has the number twenty on it. In each challenge you face, you lose a certain portion of a life if you mess up or lose. When the counter hits zero, you will be deleted. 2. You are in teams of eight. If a member of your team perishes, you will have to continue with seven, and so on. 3. While you are in teams, it's every man for himself. 4. You must carry this out to the end, or face deletion.' What the hell kind of place is this?"

"We have rights, ya!" cried Wakka. 

"Not here," said Peggy, sadly shaking his head. "If we aren't citizens of this world, we have no rights."

"That's why they abduct us from other worlds. They put a 'Sucker' in everyday objects, and when someone goes near it:" Tim paused to breathe in and replicate it.

"We were reading a book about ancient legends, and here we are. The RealiTV station on Katana." said Redmond. His blue eyes looked sad, but Roxas noticed a bit of orange in one of them.

"You have heterochromia."

"Huh?"

"One of your eyes is a quarter orange. We've got a friend with it, too. One of her eyes is green, and the other's yellow." said Roxas.

"Oh. Is she hot?"

"She isn't really my type, so I don't take notice." lied Roxas, although he had taken plenty of notice when he had first seen her, leaping over walls in Hollow Bastion.

"Yeah," said Xolas "I know your type. (Cough, cough) Naminé (Hack, splutter)." 

"What's Katana?" asked Selphie. She looked around the dark room, at the neon tubing, and oversized lava lamps which surprisingly gave off very little light.

"That's the name of this world."

"World? This isn't the Destiny Islands?" asked Tidus.

"No," said Emmeleine, rolling her eyes. "And this is what the Katanian call 'entertainment'."

_"Yes, there's nothing better to do." _ said Larry.

"You're a freak, Larry." said Xolas. She tried to summon the Keyblade, but it refused to come.

_"Ah, you see, we are in a neutral area. Weapons cannot be brought in here."_

"Peking you!" she said angrily, crossing her arms and letting herself fall on her butt. Xolas sat there, waiting for something to happen.

"She didn't have a weapon." said Kretowicz, confused.

"Xolas was trying to get it, but she can't for some reason." said Roxas.

"Meh."

"What's going on, anyway? Why are we stood here?" asked Wakka, looking at the Reds.

"No idea." said Tom, shrugging.

"What about the rest of you?"

"No." answered Peggy.

"Nope." Tim shook his head.

_"Nein." _ said Henry.

"Me no know." Redmond answered.

"No, sorry." said Kretowicz.

"We're having a challenge, that is; a sick and twisted game for the viewer's entertainment." said Emmeleine.

"What about you, Keye?" asked Zoe. 

"She can't talk." said Emmeleine.

"Then, how do you know her name?" 

"We made one up for her." said Tom. He crouched down next to Keye, and took the cord in his hand. He pulled it up a little, and the pendant came into view. It was a small silver key, with a symbol on it. They couldn't make out what it was in the dim light.

"You named her after her pendant?" asked Serena.

"Well, it isn't like she can tell us what it really is. I asked her what it was once, but she refused to trace it out on the palm of my hand. Redmond added an E at the end, 'cos he thought it would look better when it was written down." said Emmeleine.

"I guess. Oh! We forgot to introduce ourselves!" said Zoe. "I'm Zoe, and this is Roxas, his sister Xolas, Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, Landusoi, my brother, and Serena, my sister."

"Nice to meet you. It's too bad we're gonna have to kill eachother in this stupid show."

_"Well, now that you know eachother, it's time for your challenge."_ said Larry, reappearing on screen.

Roxas and the rest of the green team jumped out of their skins when they heard a loud whirring noise. From the ground in front of them, sixteen pillars rose up, each having a gun laid on it. There were eight red, and eight green. The red team stepped forward and silently took theirs, Peggy handing Keye's to her, as she couldn't reach.

The green team gingerly touched theirs before picking them up and putting the straps around their necks and one of their arms.

"A-Are these real?" asked Selphie. She was nervously pointing it at the floor, for fear it would go off and kill someone.

"Well," said Emmeleine, a smirk on her face "There's only one way to find out." She pointed hers at Selphie and pulled the trigger.

A red beam of light came out and struck Selphie in the arm. Selphie gasped at the small amount of heat she felt, but then, nothing.

"They're just weak lasers. They can't hurt you. Even if you get hit directly in the eyes, it won't do any damage at all." 

"Whew," said Selphie "You still didn't have to scare me like that!"

"Where's the fun in telling you straight up that they're fake? It's more fun seeing fear on your face!" Emmeleine burst out laughing. 

"(Coughcough) Xigbar (Coughhack)" said Roxas.

"(Chokecough) Wexel (Hackswallow)" answered Xolas.

"What?"

"Nothing."

_"Go through those doors. You'll then recieve more instuctions."_

Emmeleine sighed. "Come on, comrades. The sooner we go the sooner it'll be over." She lead the seven others along and through the door.

"I'm not going through!" said Selphie, folding her arms and turning her head away.

"Selphie!" cried Xolas "Don't worry. Whatever is on the other side, Roxas and I can deal with it. Hopefully."

"How are you going to do that? We only have these crappy plastic guns!" said Tidus.

"Don't worry. We're the Keys Of Destiny, and we'll deal out pain to anyone who opposes us."

"Great. We're stuck with three pre-teens and two nerds." said Wakka.

"Chyeah."

"Well, we're going through. If you three want to be left here, on your OWN, then it's fine by us. C'mon guys."

They walked through the door, and not wanting to be left alone, Selphie, Wakka and Tidus followed.

* * *

Well, I hope you liked the first chapter! Next chapter we will see them undergoing their first "challenge" in this sick and twisted world.

Roger, wilco and out,

SkyLandOcean

(Hugs)


	2. Bushido

I'm so lonely... (Sigh) Why won't anyone talk to me? :( Oh well, chapter below. Leave a review, because I'm so lonely, tired 'n bored. It has less words than the last one, but I was kinda running low on fuel (That is, Fanta and sweets) at the time. Don't worry, the number of words should soon pick up.

* * *

Through the doors, the two groups found themselves stood in another vast room. The same neon was spread around, but this time in the form of arrows. They were seperated from the red team by a wall, but they knew that they were on the other side.

"Riiight. What do we do now?" asked Zoe, as her eyes scanned the room around her. She heard bleeping and other technological noises around the area. There were flashing lights, coming from spectators with glowsticks and LED lights, and bleeping just for the benefit of the show. The group then looked up, to see that they were in a colisuem of some sort, with people and cameras glaring down at them from their seats.

_"The only returning member of the original red team, Emmeleine, is back with seven newcomers!"_ The crowd cheered and applauded, before settling down to watch the teams struggle against eachother.

_"And the new green team, is led by... What's your name, son?" _A man walked to Roxas, and held a microphone to him.

"Hurgn..." Roxas stepped forward and took the mike, yelling loudly into it. "Where the hell have you people brought us?! We should be on the Destiny Islands right now! If you don't send us back right NOW, I swear-"

"That you'll have a tantrum?" taunted an audience member.

"NO! No one messes with us. I swear that we will get out of here, or my name isn't Roxas!" He threw the microphone down and stepped back into the group.

"Good one, Roxas!" said Xolas, happy that someone had stood up to the people who had kidnapped them.

_"Right, Roxas then." _

The crowd booed them, obviously favouring the reds. Perhaps green had been the losing team over the past couple of years. They must have been, as Emmeleine wouldn't have survived if green had won.

They just shrugged it off, after all, they had fought darkness, Nobodies, Heartless and faced many dangers. They could get out of this easily. They hoped.

_"Now the aim of this game is to follow the arrows to the other team's base. Then you fire at it to deplete its energy, and they will not be able to recharge their guns. For everytime you get shot, you lose a quarter of a life. You have fifteen minutes, and the team who loses the least lives wins. This area is one kilometre squared, so be on your guard. GO!"_

"Okay," said Roxas "who has the most experience with guns?" He turned to the group and surveyed each person.

"If only this were a blade-on-blade battle..." said Xolas.

"Yeah, then we could get our butts kicked! Have you seen how tall they are? They could squish us, no problem!" said Selphie, nervously looking around, for fear that the tall Peggy would walk around the corner and stamp her flat.

"Oh, stuff it! Let's just get out there and fight!"

"Okay, let's go. Arm yourselves and walk behind me." Roxas headed out of the area, and looked around cautiously.

"This way." said Landusoi, spotting an arrow on the wall. Roxas carefully peeked around the corner, and saw that the next hall was empty.

"Okay, it's clear." They crept into the empty area, and Xolas surveyed the next corridor.

"Someone's there! I think it's Redmond."

"Okay, let's try and get past." said Roxas. Xolas walked out in front of him, but tripped over her shoelaces.

"Ooof!"

"What the?" Redmond turned around, and saw Xolas trying to get up. "Shit..." she said, certain that she was going to be shot.

Instead, Redmond took her hand and helped her to her feet.

"What? I thought you were going to shoot me!"

"Bushido. Don't attack from behind, kick people when they're down, et cetera."

"Huh?"

Redmond sighed.

"'The warrior protects and defends because he realizes the value of others. He knows that they are essential to society and, in his gift of service, recognizes and values theirs... take the extra moment in dark parking lots at night to make sure that a woman gets into her car safely before leaving yourself. Daily involvement in acts such as these are as much a part of training as time spent in the dojo, and indeed should be the reason for that time spent training... When faced with a woman or child in a situation in which they are vulnerable, there are two types of men: those who would offer succor and aid, and those who would prey upon them. And in modern society, there is another loathsome breed who would totally ignore their plight!'." he said, quoting from a book he had read.

"Oh! Kind of like chivalry!" said Xolas, realising what he meant.

"Yeah. Quickly, get out of here. And keep your back turned to me, otherwise I might have to shoot you, no matter what." Xolas quickly turned away and ran back to her group.

"Walk past him with your backs turned, and he won't shoot you." she said.

"Okay, I don't see how that'll help, but it's worth a try." said Tidus. Then they all snuck past with their backs turned, only to run straight into Emmeleine. She fired at them madly, hitting Selphie and Xolas. They saw their counters go from twenty to 19 3/4, 19 1/2, and then 19 1/4.

"Shit!" said Serena "Retreat!"

They ran back the way they came. They would have to think up another way to get around the reds.

* * *

Sora and Sola entered the house, placing their bags upon the carpet in the hall. They heard talking, and so Sora decided that rather than risk being seen by whoever their mother was speaking to, they would go back and climb up the side of the house. Sora took Sola's hand and crept onto the porch, and jumped from the railing into the bushes.

"...and since none of our three children came home last night, we thought we come and ask you." said Mrs, Tilmitt, nursing her cup of tea. Her husband had his arm around her, and nearby were Mr and Mrs Arusha, Tidus' parents and Mr and Mrs Sandsu, Wakka's parents.

"Well," said Sara "This is a problem. The thing is, you can't report it for twenty four hours."

"That's ridiculous! Over that period of time, they could have been taken over the water to Europaa!" (Their equivalent of Europe.)

"I know," answered Sara, looking down at the liquid in her mug and tracing her finger around the rim. "after twenty four hours, anything could have happened." She was wondering where Sora and Sola would be at that moment.

"We've looked everywhere. We searched the whole town, phoned all their friends, tried ringing their mobiles, looked on all the neighbouring islands... Nothing, not so much as footprints in the sand." said Mr Arusha.

Despite Sola's protests, her brother pulled her to the window. She tried to push his hand off her wrist, even trying to run into the house, but her brother's strength outweighed her own. She decided to ask why they had to be outside, rather than humiliate herself in a struggle that Sora was destined to win anyway.

"Sora!" she whispered harshly "Why can't we go into the house? I'm freezing out here!"

"Because, we can climb the piping to our rooms, without disturbing the adults. That lot don't know we're back, and we don't want to cause a commotion."

"Okay, for once I agree with you." Sora told her to hold their backpacks for a minute, while he climbed up. He placed his hands on the steel, and put one of his trainer-clad feet on the windowsill while he hooked the other around the pipe. Sora then pushed off, and raised himself up by about a metre before he grabbed the tiled roof of the house. He scrabbled up and turned around, signaling for Sola to toss their rucksacks up. She grabbed one by the handle and threw it upwards, but it didn't go high enough for her twin to catch it.

"Throw it higher!" said Sora, making an upward motion with his hands.

"I'm trying! It's heavy, and I failed P.E!"

"You failed P.E AND Geography?"

"Yes! And maths!"

"What DID you pass?" asked Sora, as she threw the bag upwards again. She caught it as it came back down.

Sola strained and flicked her arm, finally getting the black bag up to her brother. "Music and history!" She then tried three times to throw her own rucky up to him, and suceeded on the fourth.

"That's all? Well, I did kind of think it odd that you couldn't use your Keyblade properly, not when we do fencing in P.E."

He climbed through the window to his room and dumped the bags in. Sora then came back out onto the roof to help Sola up. He reached his arm down as far as he could, and Sola jumped up, grabbing his wrist. She put her feet on the wall, and Sora managed to help her onto the tiles beside him.

"Thanks, Sora." She said, nervously peering over the edge at the grassy lawn below.

"Anything for you, sis. Okay, let's get inside." Sora lead Sola across the roof, and through the window. They stepped onto his bed, then onto the floor.

"Now what do we do?" asked Sola,

"We wait for the other adults to go home."

"That sounds boring... Do you want to play Monopoly?" asked Sola, spying it on a shelf.

"Okay."

* * *

"Do not pass GO, do not collect two hundred munny!" said Sola quietly, as she moved Sora's counter into the jail.

"Fine, I'll pay the hundred and fifty to get out."

"Gimme." Sola took the pretend munny and placed it into the bank, while Sora moved the counter onto the Just Visiting square. He looked up, as he heard Sara saying goodbye to the other parents.

"I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Okay, goodbye Sara." When they heard the door close, they packed the Monopoly up and went downstairs.

"Mum, we're home." said Sola, as she reached the bottom landing.

"I didn't expect you back that soon! Oh well, I'm glad you are. Come and have something to eat." She hugged them both, before she lead them to the kitchen.

When the two were sat at the counter, Sara put a box of cookies in front of them. They were homemade ones, the type she hadn't baked since Sora and Sola had disappeared.

"Thanks Mum! I love these cookies!" said Sora. He took a bite, feeling the hard outside give way to the soft and crumbly within. Sora found a chocolate chip, as he chewed his way through it.

"Yeah! When we were 'away' I missed these so much, along with you, as is obvious."

She took a bite and tasted the sweet biscuit melt in her mouth. It had been quite a while since she'd had her mum's cooking. She'd basically been living off of _Frooty Peces _when travelling.

"And it makes a change from Sora eating marshmallow sandwiches and boiled eggs coated in it!"

"Sora, that's disgusting! But, it's typical for you. After all, you are my special boy!" said Sara.

"I'm special!" said Sora, in a childish voice.

"You're so much like your father. Anyway, I thought that since it's Saturday tomorrow, you could help me bake some biscuits for your class. Well, they will be when you decide to go back."

"Okay, that sounds like fun." said Sola, as she finished off her cookie. Sara handed her and Sora another one each.

* * *

That's the end of the chapter! I hope you're enjoying it so far!

SkyLandOcean.


	3. So Cunning

Welcome to the third chapter! I had a bit of writer's block, before I happily overcame it! YAY! Sorry that it's still kinda short, but wait until you see chapter eight. Much longer.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Roxas led the group back through another hall, each person trying to silence their footsteps for fear of being noticed and shot. Selphie was quivering, scared half to death. She couldn't even handle movies like _The Mummy, Tomb Raider _or _Indiana Jones. _ She stood virtually no chance. Zoe walked alongside her, hoping that her presence would offer some comfort to her friend.

Xolas whispered as quietly as she could manage to her brother "What are we going to do? We need to both defend our base and fight. Forty percent of our team are too chicken to do either."

"You think I don't know that? What we have to do is go to our base, hide and ambush them as they approach, and then run and attack their base."

"That could work. We're headed the right way. We'll find it, and take shelter."

Roxas suddenly stopped in his tracks, putting his left arm out to halt his sister.

"What? What is it?" asked Zoe, in a panic. She cautiously looked around.

"I just had an idea. It's so cunning that you could brush your teeth with it." answered Roxas. He carefully peeked around the corner.

"These walls are at least a metre thick. We could climb up, and combat-crawl on top of them. They wouldn't see us."

"Oh, you're brilliant!" said Tidus.

"Thank you. Here, I'll give you guys a boost." Roxas cupped his two hands together, and crouched down. Xolas stepped onto them, and Roxas slowly raised his hands so she could grab the top of the wall. After a few moments of struggling, she was up.

"Dammit. Why'd she have to fail Phys Ed?" said Xolas, flattening herself down and crawling a few metres away.

"C'mon, they could storm around any of these corners any second. Hurry up." whispered Roxas.

"Selphie, you next." whispered Serena. Selphie, with Roxas' help, climbed up.

After three minutes, everyone except Roxas was up. Zoe stretched her arm down to help him, but Roxas said that she'd get dragged off the wall. He instead used the skills he had learnt in the Organization to get up. Roxas crouched down a bit, before using his High Jump abilities to grab the wall. He pulled himself up, and flattened himself down so anyone below couldn't see him.

"How did you do that?" asked Tidus, eyes wide with shock. He'd never seen anyone jump that high unassisted.

Roxas thought for a second. "Erm, I'm in the Army Cadets. Standard jumping protocol."

"You have rules for jumping?" asked Selphie.

"Yes," said Xolas, pretending to know what the hell she was talking about "It's all about your centre of gravity, and calculating how many calories will be needed to make the jump."

"Right, I didn't understand a word you just said, but you two were in the Org-" Landusoi was cut off, as Zoe pinched his leg.

"What?!" he whispered harshly, turning to look behind him at his older sister.

"Selphie, Wakka and Tidus don't know! Shut up!"

"Well, shouldn't they know?"

"No! They'd panic!"

"We'd panic if what?" asked Wakka.

"If we were found. Keep crawling, guys. We need to reach our base." said Xolas, trying to cover up what Landusoi had almost revealed. She pulled herself along, and went around a corner. She gasped, and quickly turned her head to see Selphie.

"Tom's down there. Pass it on." Xolas whispered, diverting her gaze back to the fourteen year old below.

"Tom's down there. Pass it on, Landusoi."

Roxas recieved the news, and thought for a moment. Should they attack him, or keep going? Below, Tom was sweeping his gun around, hoping that he wouldn't be caught unawares.

"God," he said to himself "Please don't let me get shot."

Serena sniggered, attracting his attention.

"WAWAZZAT?!" he cried, turning in a circle. He didn't see anyone, and ran around the corner. Tom came back, Emmeleine and Keye in tow.

"Where are they?" asked Emmeleine, looking around.

"I think they're on the other side of the wall." said Tom. Emmeleine armed herself, and marched around the corner.

"There's no one here." came her voice.

Xolas took in a deep breath, as she had held it since Tom had heard Serena. This breath was heard by Keye. She pointed upwards, at the wall.

"Keye, there's no one on the other side. Just Emmy." Keye shook her head, and continued pointing. Tom just looked at the young girl, a confused expression on his features.

She slapped her hand to her forehead, and ran it down her face, pulling her lower eyelids. Keye instead resorted to jumping up and down on the spot, still pointing.

"Jumping, pointing?" Keye shook her head again, as Emmeleine returned.

"They must have run of- what the hell is she doing?" she asked, upon noticing the bouncing girl.

"Erm, this?" Tom began to copy Keye's actions. Emmeleine walked behind him, and hit him across the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For being a jackass. I meant, why is she doing it?"

"I have no idea." said Tom, speaking blankly. Emmeleine may have survived this place twice, because of her miliatary training, but Tom did NOT like her methods of discipline.

"What do you mean?" aske Emmeleine. Keye stopped bouncing, and pointed at her right wrist, upon which was an analog watch.

"Wrist?"

Keye shook her head.

"Wristwatch?"

Again.

"Watch?"

Keye nodded, smiling. On the top of the wall, Xolas was slowly crawling away, trying to be silent.

Keye then took Emmeleine's hand and traced the letters 'T,H,E' into her palm.

"The?"

Keye then tugged on her own sleeve.

"Shirt? Sleeve? Cotton?"

She shook her head, tugging more.

"Pull? Top?"

Keye nodded. "Top?"

She nodded again. She then traced 'O,F,T,H,E' into Emmeleine's palm.

"Of the...?"

Keye then pointed at the wall.

"Watch the top of the wall?" asked Tom.

She nodded, happy that they finally understood her message.

Emmeleine went around another corner. "Peggy, where are you? We need you over here." Peggy walked to them from around the corner.

Roxas gulped, as Tom explained the situation to his extremely tall friend.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Sora and Sola were walking around Charity City, hoods pulled over their faces, so no one would recognise them. Their return had not been publicly announced just yet, as the news reports had been altogether abandoned, as the police felt the islands weren't ready to discover the truth about the Keyblades, Organization XIII and the fact that they had almost been killed in the process. They had even deleted the Organization's homepage, fearing the people would panic.

"Do you think we'll see the guys soon?" asked Sola, looking up at the tall skyscrapers. It wasn't a very nice day, as grey clouds loomed above, casting a shadow across the island and making everything seem dull and grey.

"Maybe. I just don't know what we'll say to them. We can't talk about the Keyblade or anything, what WILL we say?" answered her brother.

"Kidnapped?"

"By the same person? They'll never believe that. They'd want to know what happened while we were imprisoned."

"I don't want to think about that. I guess the only thing we could say is that we ran away."

"Why?" asked Sola, knowing that they'd have to explain themselves.

"We need to work out our story. Okay, I went to check the raft. I went in my boat, and finding it was okay, I returned to my room. I was upset about something, maybe I felt isolated, and I ran off with Riku and Kairi, who felt the same. We saw some terrible things, and Kairi returned home after having enough. She didn't say anything because she was scared. When she went missing again, Kairi had felt a strong urge to come back and help us. You chanced by us one day. Unable to persuade me into coming home, you decided to stick around and finally nagged us into returning."

"Maybe. But it seems too far fetched. No one would believe that, the police will probably make something up for us, so we shouldn't worry anyway."

"Hey, what's happening over there?" asked Sora, noticing a bunch of people taking photos of three people hidden under hoodies. Two were clearly male, and the other a female. They waved at the people as they entered a car, closing the door behind them.

"I wonder who that was." said Sola, her eyes following the car as it drove off.

"Who was that? Who was that?!" said a young man nearby. "That's Resurrection, that is. They've been taking the Islands by storm for the past six months. Only nineteen years old, and all."

"Resurrection?"

"A band. Two guys and a girl, all related. Just got back from Britain, they did."

"We haven't been here in a while." said Sora.

"I've heard of them." said Sola "They were here for about five months when I found you."

"Resurrection are huge in Japan and Europe. They're touring right now. This place is where they were born."

"I guess they're evidence that people can make it big." said Sora, as he walked further up the road with his sister.

"So are we! One day, we just got Keyblades and were expected to be heroes. We never asked for it. Now a lot of people in Hollow Bastion know who we are."

"Do you think that the evil will ever leave forever?" asked Sora.

"No," said Sola, sighing "Everyone has darkness in their hearts, and for as long as we do, the Heartless will remain, and in effect, the Nobodies."

"So, we're always going to fight them? I don't think I can do that."

"Eventually we'll be too old or too busy to do it. I'd never ask my children to continue it, so I guess we've no choice. Weilding the Keyblade is an honour, but if we do, we'll never have a normal life." said Sola, looking down at her right hand.

"That was what Dad wanted for us, wasn't it? Remember the letter we were given at his funeral?"

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_Sora and Sola gazed at the envelope in Sola's hands. The dim light, provided by the candles on the walls, made it seem almost gothic. Sara was sat next to them, tears in her eyes, waiting to follow the ones which ran down her face. Her hands were clutched together in her lap, her right hand twisting her wedding and engagement rings on her finger._

_Sola could barely bring herself to read the letter. She traced over the letters of her name, printed on the front. Her father's handwriting was in black pen on an expensive envelope, the type you would get in a stationary kit. It had a picture of the sun high in the sky in the corner, the meaning of Sora and Sola's names. Finally, she worked up the courage to open it._

_'Dear Sora and Sola,_

_I am writing this in case anything happens to me._

_Kids, remember that death isn't the end, it's the very beggining. The beginning of_

_Eternia. As with all things,I can't say when I will die, but it's likely that _

_you will only be young when I do. We will never truly be seperated by death, I will _

_be near you in some way or another. I'm sure of how I will meet you, my _

_little children again, but it won't be in this form. It will surely be _

_another, although which of them cannot be determined. You'll _

_discover which later on in your lives. Spiritually, obviously, but when is yet to be confirmed._

_Every time something seems to go wrong, remember, at times everything can _

_seem dark and frightening, but the truth and the right can win._

_Someday you may feel that you have to shoulder a great burden, but know _

_that you have an option. Many things could happen, and you do not have to_

_risk it if you choose not to. Whether or not you take it on is your choice, even if it is dumped right _

_on you. I don't know what this burden could be, maybe starting your first year of college. _

_You can put it off if you want, but eventually, some things must be done._

_To some people, life may seem unfair. It's true, it can be very topsy-turvy, but things do balance out._

_Hiding out can sometimes be a good choice, other times you hide in a corner, and find it hard to_

_ever get out again. Don't let this happen to you. It's happened a few times to me, and I still haven't learned._

_Do what you think is right, never allow anyone else to change your views. Be _

_aware that there are people who would do you harm, but with your great minds it would be_

_reasonably easy to identify ways to get around any danger you may face. _

_Keep yourselves safe, I want you to grow up to an age greater than whatever I do._

_Dad_

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

"I want to go home and read it again." said Sola.

"Yeah, we probably should get home anyway." said Sora, looking at his wrist.

As they turned around, Sola commented on the eerieness of the letter.

"Like what?" asked Sora, as they left the area, and entered their suburb again.

"It seems as though Dad knew about all this stuff. A great burden, people who want to hurt us... Weird."

"He was talking about college and stranger danger. Dad may have been smart, but he'd never know that eight years before it happened to me, and nine years before you. Parents always include stuff like that in their wills and personal letters. It's kinda'n obligation."

"You're right. I'm tired, not y'know, thinking straight." said Sola, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Go to sleep when we get in. You have been looking a little tired recently. Are you worried about something?"

"No, just thinking about how strange everything is."

"Save that for when you're not meant to be asleep. You're paranoid."

"Yeah, I am. Let's just get home, I'm tired." said Sola, sighing heavily and gazing at the old buildings surrounding her and her brother. Her father must have passed through this part of the city hundreds of times, to get to the studio where he had worked with Tracy McGinnel and the rest of the Destiny News team. The twins had met Tracy a few times, most of those times after Salo had been killed while he was filming a live news report. She had taken a bunch of flowers to Sara on the day they had learnt his fate, and was a mourner at his funeral.

Sora must have been thinking the same thing, because he remarked that it had been years since they saw her. She had been absent at the mass police interview, post-Xemnasa's death. That was because Tracy had been filming in New York for a special about the USA. But, like everyone else on the newsteam, she knew that the twins were back. The heavens opened with a loud clap, and large amounts of water plummeted down, striking the road. People in cars started their windsheild wipers, and the two Katamoris wandered onto the footpath.

"We'd better hurry home. Mum'll worry." said Sora, adjusting his hood, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, and picking up his pace. They would rather not be soaked by the time they got into the house, they might catch colds, or something else. Eventually, as the clouds showed no sign of weakening, their trainer-clad feet pounded against the ground, as they reached the home stretch.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well, that's the end of that chapter. It was going to be much shorter than this originally, but I added some more at the last minute. I'm going to go do some editing on the other yet-to-come chapters.

SkyLandOcean


	4. Hello

Now for chapter four! Sorry if it took a while to update, you know, editing and such.

* * *

Sora and Sola arrived back home, looking around cautiously before twisting the doorknob, entering the hall. On either wall were several pictures of their family, their parent's wedding, their christenings, their birthdays. There were some of their cousins, Klinia and Drake, from Salo's side of the family.

"Mum?" asked Sola, poking her head around the corner, into the kitchen. Sara was cracking eggs into a bowl, breaking them up with a wooden spoon.

"Hi kids. I have something to tell you. Sit down." she said, putting a tray of buns into the oven to bake. She stole a quick glance through the window, where the rain had subsided and only existed as wet lawns and overflowed drains.

Sora and Sola exchanged glances. What could it be?

"Riiiight." said Sora, sitting on a barstool at the counter. He pulled his hood down, his hair exposed. At the moment it was much more saturated than spiky, clinging to his face.

"Well, you see," said Sara, shifting uneasily. "Selphie, Wakka and Tidus didn't go home two days ago. They've gone missing, and," Sara stopped, unable to think how to end her sentence.

"What?" asked Sola, not quite believing what she'd heard. Those three were missing?

"And, and, so did your friend's siblings, Serena, Zoe and Landusoi. Ienzo and Sulin are pretty distraught."

"Yeah, they would be. Anything else?" asked Sora. He knew there had to be, as Sara was scratching her arm. Anyone who knew her well knew that it meant there was still something on her mind.

She took a deep breath. "Roxas and Xolas are gone too. Everyone who knows any of them is really upset, especially Lixnus."

After a pause, Sora spoke. "Is this kind of thing ever going to end?" he asked himself, sighing.

"I don't think so. Does this mean we need to go on ANOTHER journey? The last one was bad enough. We fought a girl to the death in the school gym, for criminy's sake!"

Sora looked at his mother, who had wrung her fingers together. He could tell she didn't want them to go.

"Although Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, Roxas and Xolas are my friends," he said, pressing that he cared "I don't want to chase them down. It's dangerous. Maybe Zexion and Lixnus will go." Sora wanted to spend some real time with his mother, after he'd barely seen her since he returned home.

"Not just them," came a voice. Ares was leaning in the window. "What's left of the Organization were bored with sitting around, doing nothing. We've taken it upon ourselves to track them down. After all, Roxas and Xolas are members of Organization XIII, too."

"How are you planning to track them down?" asked Sola, swiveling to face the Destroying Angel.

"Lixnus told me that the HBRC has a computer program which tracks people by their pulse. We can use it to find Xolas, and where she is, that's where Roxas is."

"It should be easy then." said Sora. He had no idea how tough it would actually be to track down two Nobodies and six mortals.

"Probably. Lixnus is really worried, I'd better go and hang with him for a while. See ya, Sora, Sola, Mrs. Katamori."

"You can call me Sara if you want."

"Okay, bye Sara." Ares turned away from the window, and walked across the lawn, slightly waving her hand as she departed.

* * *

Roxas gulped, as Tom explained the situation to his extremely tall friend.

Peggy was nodding in understanding, as the shorter boy came closer to ending his explanation.

"Move out! Quickly!" whispered Xolas, crawling forward. Everyone else followed suit, hoping to get away before they were spied by the towering fourteen year old.

"Did you hear that?" asked Tom, urgently. He looked up at the wall, making Xolas bite her lip. Peggy stepped towards it, and raised himself onto his tiptoes. He came face-to-face with Roxas.

The fifteen year old gulped. "Hello." said Roxas, weakly waving with his fingers. Xolas yelled out.

"Everyone, get down!" she cried, rolling over the other side. Everyone else copied, except for Roxas, whose wrist was grabbed by Peggy. He was dragged off, dumped onto the floor at Keye, Emmeleine, Peggy, and Tom's feet.

"Welp," said Tom, stretching his arms. "We got one of them, at least."

"One isn't enough!" said Emmeleine, harshly. Roxas sat up on the floor, rubbing his backside.

"There's no need to be a bitch to him." he said, even though he was equally pissed off at Tom.

"Kid," said Emmeleine "Where I come from, we have a saying: Is minic a bhris beal duine a shrone. That means: Many a time a man's mouth broke his nose." With that, she pulled her gun and fired at him. Roxas was taken by surprise, but retaliated by doubling back on himself and swinging up, kicking her to the ground. His counter fell down to 18, but he continued to shoot her over and over.

"Xolas! I need some help here!" he cried, fighting off Tom, who was trying to wrestle the gun away from him. Distracted by his current skirmish with the fourteen year old, Roxas didn't notice Peggy, lying in wait for Xolas and the rest of the green team.

Xolas stormed around the corner, getting fired at by Peggy. She squealed, and tried to get away again. Tidus and Wakka knew something that they COULD do, and whispered to eachother while they were still hidden. They stepped into the open, and ran at him. Each hooked an arm around Peggy's, and pushed him down. They held him, while Xolas, Selphie and Landusoi rushed in to Roxas' aid.

"Hyah!" yelled Selphie, as she rushed at Emmeleine. The older girl looked up from firing at The Key Of Destiny, and faced Selphie. Xolas stood by her brother's side, facing against Tom and Keye.

"You think you can beat me?" asked Tom, chortling a bit as he faced off against Xolas Kithatrix. The blonde girl was slightly hunched over, hands out, elbows and knees bent.

"No," she said, lunging at him. "I KNOW I can beat you!"

Tom skilfully blocked her, grabbing his gun. He fired at her three times, avoiding what she sent at him.

"Satan will skate to work before that happens!"

"Well, I'll buy him some rollerblades." said Xolas, smirking slightly.

"I meant on ice!"

"Well, doi!" said Xolas, saying the second word fast and sharply, slightly shaking her head.

Meanwhile, Peggy had managed to get up from being pinned, and pulled his gun on Roxas. The spiky haired boy was trapped between Emmeleine and Peggy, with barely an opportunity to escape. He thought for a moment, before placing his hand behind his back, and taking his sister's left hand in his right. Roxas ran forward, dragging Xolas along with him, despite her protests.

"What the peking are you doing?!" she demanded. Xolas had no time to think however, as Roxas stopped, and swung his right hand around, bringing his sister to his side. She finally realised what he was doing. With a nod, Roxas pulled his sister up, enabling her to kick Emmeleine over.

"Not again!" complained Tom, shaking his head. Zoe ran from around the corner, but they all ceased fighting when a bell tolled.

_"And we are out of time! Green has lost more lives than red, making red the winner! Tune in tomorrow for the next installment of GamesMaster!"_

"And cut!" came a voice, from above. A dark haired woman rose up from a chair, and turned a camera off. "Go to your places!"

"Huh? Who the hell are you?" asked Roxas.

"I'm a cameraman, who the fuck are you?"

"Why would we tell you?"

"Just get out of here. Green area is that way," she said, pointing to the left, "and red's is that way."

The two teams parted, and headed back. Roxas lead his team to a door, which opened when the cameraman pressed a button. They headed to the left, coming to a door with a green light above it. It opened as they approached, finding themselves in a lift. (AN: Elevator) It rose up slowly, and a woman appeared on a screen on the door.

_"I'm Giouio, and I'll be showing you to your base." _ she said.

Serena screwed up her nose. Giouio looked like a bitchy barbie doll. She had her hair in an up-do, with a pink headband. She looked like she'd been in a an explosion in a glitter and jewelry factory, as she had at least seven necklaces on, and her blush, eyeshadow, lipgloss and foundation ALL had glitter in it.

The lift doors opened, and they had a look at their prison.

There was a kitchen with a small fridge and microwave, and a bin nearby. It had a sink and a cupboard overhead, storing cutlery and crockery. Eight beds were up against the wall, but they were seperated into two groups of four by a wall. They were also seperated from the kitchen by a sliding glass door, one for each set of beds. The beds were covered with a white sheet, and a green quilt, the kind of which you'd see in a hospital.

The room was lit by eight wall sconces, each with a green casing. The walls were black, covered in a velvety cloth, reminscent of theatre curtains, but the ground had no covering, just concrete slabs. A bathroom for each gender was nearby, to the right side of the room. A cupboard stood on the left side of the room, built into the wall. There was also a couch, green and tattered, facing a blank wall.

_"This is where you'll be spending the majority of your time, when you're not competing in the games. Your fridge will be restocked every week, so watch that you don't eat too much, or you'll be starving. In that cupboard is clothing, like your green shirts, PJs, some extra pants, skirts and underwear, and a few items for your entertainment. We can't have any crazy people here, because then we'd have to kill them and find someone else. This room is soundproofed, so don't bother calling for help. Bye-bye!"_

Giouio faded from the screen, leaving the eight alone.

"What're we gonna do?" moaned Selphie, dropping to her knees on the ground. Her pink denim skirt was spread out around her, as she stared at the ground.

"I have no idea." said Roxas. He leant against the wall, closing his eyes.

"You don't?" asked Xolas. She had relied on her brother to do something, and was upset that he was clueless.

"I'll try and think of something." he said, not lifting his head.

"C'mon Selphie. It's not that bad." said Zoe, taking her friend's hand.

"Not that bad?! How is it not bad? We're stuck in this HELLHOLE to rot! If we fail too many 'challenges', we'll be shot! What's 'not that bad' about it?!"

"We're trapped." said Tidus, facing the wall, and banging his head on it.

"I can't think of anything that's optimistic." said Zoe, walking to the couch and flopping down. There would be much sadness in the green bunk for hours to come.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Red's Base:

"How come you're reading? We're all bored of talking to eachother, we need someone else to liven it up." said Kretowicz, leaning on the back of the sofa on which Emmeleine was sat.

"Because no one here is capable of intelligent conversation." she answered, flicking to the next page of her _ Spider-Man _ comic.

"I understand Keye, because she's dumb, but we can talk!" Keye glared daggers at her compatriot. She didn't appreciate her intelligence being questioned.

"Dumb means you can't speak, Keye." said Emmeleine, noticing the look on her face. Keye smiled and nodded, understanding. "And Kretowicz, I was calling you stupid. Geez, you're too stupid to know you're stupid!"

Kretowicz shrugged and returned to his group of friends. At least they cared about him, even if their team leader didn't.

"No, no, no! Don't use your webbing to stop her falling, you idiot! She'll break her neck from the sudden stop! ... And you did. Yep, she's dead." said Emmeleine, referring to Gwen Stacey after the Green Goblin ditched her off a bridge.

"Nope, she isn't interested in talking to us. She'd rather spend all her time reading comics and having a one-sided conversation with Keye."

Redmond spoke. "She's as cold as a penguin's bum."

"Oi!" said Emmeleine. "I can hear you, freak!"

"So? What're you going to do about it, tell Larry the Dick?"

"No, I'll carve out your spleen." said Emmeleine.

Redmond gulped. She probably would, given the opportunity. "I mean, you're as sweet as fairy floss."

"That's what I thought."

"So," said Henry, changing the subject from crazy girls with knives "do you guys want to play a board game?"

"Hurgn," moaned Tom, pushing his head against the wall and arching his back. "No more games! Us six have been here a week, and we've played every game imaginable!"

"So read a book." said Emmeleine.

"There's nothing good. There's an Atlas, a book about vintage teddy bears, your comics; which you won't let us touch, _Go Grammar! _ and _1000 Things To Cook With Root Vegetables._" said Peggy. He leant against a wall and sunk to the floor, sitting next to Tom.

"Of course I'm not letting you touch my comics! I don't want scabby boys messing them all up."

"I would do anything for a lemonade right now." said Tim.

Keye nodded in agreement.

The door opened, and Giouio threw a bag at the group of guys. It was their prize, something the winning team recieved after every challenge.

"What is it?" asked Emmeleine, dumping her comicbook and walking over with Keye. Tom got up and switched on the lights, as they had been miserably sat in the dark except for one light, which Emmeleine had been sat beneath.

"It's," said Henry, as he opened the bag. "something. I don't know what it is."

"Let me see." said Emmeleine. She peered into the bag, and saw what appeared to be eight short coloured sticks.

"Holy crap, it's Blackpool Rock!"

"Bla-what?" asked Peggy.

"It's a type of hard sweet, often mint flavoured. It comes in a stick." said Emmeleine.

"Cool!" The bag was passed around, and everyone took their prize.

"I wonder what the Greenies are doing right now." said Tom.

* * *

_"Aga-doo-doo-doo, push pineapple, shake the tree. Aga-doo-doo-doo, push pineapple, grind coffee. To the left, to the right, jump up and down and to the knees. Come and dance every night, sing with a hula melody." _ sang Serena, laid upside down on the couch. Her pink and silver hair was touching the floor, as she kicked her legs.

"Serry, will you do me a favour?" asked Zoe. She was sat against the wall.

"What?"

"Shut up!"

"Fine, I'll stop singing it." She then proceeded to belt out _Chitty Chitty Bang Bang._

Roxas joined in, unable to think of anything else to do. _"You're sleek as a thoroughbred. Your seats are a feather bed. You'll turn everybody's head today. We'll glide on our motor trip, with pride in our ownership. The envy of all we survey."_

"How do you know the words?" asked Xolas, bewildered that he could remember anything as complex as lyrics. She knew he normally remembered simple or small things, but not usually a sequence of words strung together into a cheesy song, from a 1968 Metro Goldwyn Mayer feature film. Roxas had more stuff to worry about than that.

"Larxene made me watch it. Then, she made me watch it again, and over and over. It got stuck in my head. Geez, I hate that movie. Mad, what a sadist."

"Is Larxene your sister or something?" asked Tidus.

"No, she was a friend of mine. We lost contact some time ago."

_And thank God._

"What the hell's the big deal with that movie, anyway? I rented it when I was like four, and I didn't like it one bit." said Wakka.

"Neither did Riku." said Selphie.

"That's more obvious than, um, something that's obvious. Ergh, I can't think straight." said Tidus, walking through the glass door and lying on a bed.

"I can't either." said Roxas. "I'm so bored. How I managed in the Organization, I do NOT know."

"Organization?"

"Army Cadets. It was like a boarding school type thing." said Xolas, covering up his mistake.

"Other than hanging out with Axel and duelling, there wasn't that much to do."

"Does anyone wanna look in the cupboard?" asked Landusoi. "It'd give us something to do."

"Yeah, whatever." said Serena, getting up.

"I'm gonna check out the boy's bathroom." Roxas walked to a door with 'BB' written on it, in permenant marker. He turned the handle, and had a look at the shelf under the sink.

There were the conventional things you'd expect to find there, like bars of soap, deodorant and shampoo. But, Roxas cursed when he saw that something he really needed was missing. He looked in the medicine cabinet, but found none there, either. What was he looking for?

"There's no hairgel!" cried Roxas.

"So?" said Zoe. She saw no big deal in the absence of a hair product. Shampoo and conditioner was enough for her.

"That means my hair will regress to its natural style. Xolas, can you go and see if there's any in the girl's bathroom?"

"Okay, but girls don't usually use that stuff. What's so bad about your natural hair, anyway?" Xolas walked in and started to look through the shelf and medicine cabinet.

Roxas walked over and stood in the doorway. "Because, my natural hair is too plain. It doesn't suit me." he said. It was true, his natural hair just drooped around his face, getting in the way of his eyes.

"So you're afraid that you won't be stylin' anymore?" she whispered, standing on her tiptoes to search the cabinet.

"No, more like it'll totally impair my vision. I can practically feel my hair drooping right now!"

"It is not!"

"Whatever. It doesn't matter, I guess I'll wear a hat or something."

* * *

Poor Roxas, there's no hair gel! XD Now he'll either have to dry it upside-down or wear a hat! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and as for me, I'm off to practice my drawing. I just did a heap of last-minute editing.

SkyLandOcean.


	5. If You Sing That DAMN Song ONE More Time

What time is it? It's CRACKERJACK TIME!

Sora: It's chapter five time. You've been at the sweets again, haven't you?

SkyLandOcean: No. I haven't, and you can't prove it!

Sola: Actually, we can. (Holds up empty bag of jelly snakes)

SkyLandOcean: (Thinks) You liiiiiee!

Sorry about that, I'm having one of those days where you wake up and act as though you just ate ORANGE SHERBET. XD I love Austin Powers Movies. Anyway, this chapter may be a little random, as my mind is all over the place. OOH, green butterfly! Jellyfishing, jellyfishing, jellyfishing! Final Fantasy, YEAH! When Eric eats a banana, he becomes BANANAMAN! Don't worry though, I simply will NOT let it get as out of hand as Yuffie's Cocaine-Induced rampage in We Are Family. XD

* * *

_"Cos when I come to face tomorrow, I bet I needed it yesterday. Then I'll breathe in your life, wrap it up and break away. Step back step down step around my, my face it bleeds like a ghost. As I walk back through history the moment fades, pretty stains. It's so contagious don't you say?"_

"Serena, if you sing that damn song ONE MORE TIME, I WILL KILL YOU! AND STOP HUMMING THE GUITAR SOLOS!" cried Zoe. She was frustrated that her sister kept singing Superheist's _ Step Back _over and over. She couldn't think while she was singing such a damn repetitive song.

"You don't like it, lump it! I'_m so depleted; noone needs it, noone needs it."_

"Can you at least sing something that ISN'T about death?" asked Selphie.

"Nope. I'm feeling dark today."

"We're never going to get out of here. At least we have some entertainment." said Xolas, beginning to join in Serena's bad mood.

They were disrupted by banging on the door which seperated them from the rest of the room.

"Yeah?" asked Zoe, sliding the glass across.

"D'you guys want to play a game of Cluedo?" asked Roxas, looking at the brown, pink-silver, blue and blonde haired girls.

"Why not? It'll give us something to do." said Serena, standing up.

"While we wait to die." added Landusoi, who was sat on the couch. "Life may be relatively cushy, with this dorm and everything, but underneath lies the rocky bed that we will undoubtedly feel."

"You're dismal." said Tidus.

"I have a reason to be, don't I? Anyway, I don't think we should be spending our time playing. We should be getting out of here."

"How? The doors are locked, and we have no key." said Wakka.

"Don't remind me." said Roxas, looking down at his hand. He missed his Keyblade, and felt useless without it.

* * *

"We're gonna head off." said Ares, her left arm resting on the strap of her backpack. She was going to Hollow Bastion, to see the HBRC and locate Xolas and Roxas. Zexion and Lixnus were stood next to her, and nodded.

"The sooner we track them down, the sooner we'll be back." said Zexion.

"Yeah," added Lixnus "The sooner we find them, the better. We're meeting the rest of the remaining Organization, and we'll find them."

"I guess it'll be easier that way. With more people, you'll find them in no time. We'd come with, but we really need to stay with mum." said Sora, his hands in his jean pockets. He stood with one leg crossed over the other, and his hood up. They still couldn't risk anyone seeing them, until they had officially "returned".

Sola nodded, agreeing with the spiky haired teenager. She really wanted to hang out with her mother, even though a normal teen would want the opposite. After all, she had missed her a hell of a lot when she was gone, and was grateful to still have a parent in this world. There were heaps of children who didn't have a father or a mother. Children like Ares, for example. Her mum was dead, and her dad was probably in a cryogenic tube somewhere.

"Yeah, I would if I were you." answered the Destroying Angel. "Family is precious."

"Well, we really have to go. The rest of the ex-Organization members are meeting us there. Unlike before, it is now all for one and one for all." said Zexion.

"Yeah, before it was generally every man for himself."

"Obviously, I mean, Axel tried to have me killed! It hurt!"

"When are you going to drop that?" asked Lixnus, looking at his older brother.

"How do I know he won't do it again? I'm still cautious when I'm near him."

"So? Naminé is still scared of you."

"That's different, I didn't try to kill her. I've gotta regain her trust somehow, but right now I'm busy with this."

"You never had her trust." said Sora, pointing out the obvious.

"I know, but I have to GAIN her trust, and convince her that I'm not going to use it against her. Which I won't, because now I'm not under orders from the Superior. Erm, I mean Xemnas."

"Still not used to calling him that, huh?" asked Sola, smiling a small smile at him.

"Yeah, still not used to it. Okay, let's go. We need to find them, before something happens." answered Zexion, saying the last part to his younger brother, stood beside him with a blank expression on his face. Lixnus had even dropped his emotional façade, not seeing any point in pretending to have emotions unless his girlfriend was there.

"Yeah, we can't let anything happen." answered the younger Aomori, opening a portal.

"Okay, keep safe guys. We'll be here when you get back. Goodbye." said Sola, softly. The three waved at them as they became enshrouded in the darkness.

The two walked back into their home, where Sara was waiting.

"Have they set off?" she asked, standing up from the couch. She tucked some brown hair behind her ear, and pulled slightly on her skirt, ensuring that it reached her knees.

"Yes," answered Sora, pulling his hood down. His brown spikes became exposed, a trait inherited from his dad. "They left. I just hope they find them."

"They will," said Sara "You can trust them to finish their tasks. Unlike some kids in my class. Eamon, for example."

"Wanker." said Sola.

"Sola, indoor talk."

"Jerk."

"That's better. So, what do you want to do? I have some old craft kits that you never did. You blew a hundred munny on them, and they're sat in the cupboard under the stairs."

"Could we... take a look at the old photo albums?" asked Sora. They hadn't looked at them in years, at least five. Sara nodded, glad that her children wanted to look at family history, instead of making tea cosies.

"They're on the bookshelf in the other living room. C'mon, let's take a look at them."

A few minutes later, they were all sat on a couch in the living area. Sara pointed at faded photographs, telling stories about them.

"Tell us how you met Dad again. Please?" asked Sola, looking between an old photograph of Salo and Sora. She was amazed how much he resembled him now. His voice was about the same too, and she wondered why she hadn't noticed before.

"You know it off by heart!"

"I want to hear it again."

"Okay, then. It was summer..."

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_A thirteen year old Sara Hokkaido was sat on a bench, her back to the beach and facing the road. She was thumbing through a copy of _Lorna Doone, _R.D Blackmore's dramatic romance. The wind whirled around her, throwing bits of sand against her face and rustling the thin pages. It rather annoyed her, and she decided to move back into her house where she could read in peace. _

_Sara began to cross the road, but only looked out for cars, not boys on red bicycles. He swerved to avoid her, and smashed into the bench that she had just been sat on. He fell off, and was leaning on his elbows as she ran over_

_"Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling down next to him. He pulled himself up, into a sitting position._

_"Yeah," he answered, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, something his son would take on, "I'm okay." He pulled himself up, and gave her his hand to help her get back to her feet._

_"I'm sorry, it was my fault. I was only looking out for cars, not boys on red bicycles."_

_"It's okay, I was going too fast anyway. I'm just glad you stopped me before I ran over a little old lady or something." He gave her a small smile. "So, what's your name?"_

_"I'm Sara Hokkaido. What's yours?" _

_"Salo Katamori. I haven't seen you before, and I know everyone in the neighbourhood." _

_"I just moved here. I live with my grandma, my mum's in hospital nearby, and my dad's in the army."_

_"In hospital? Is everything okay?"_

_"She's in remission, but they're keeping her there for observation. Ovarian." said Sara, nodding in the direction of a white building. _

_"Cancer. I'm sorry, I hope it turns out okay."_

_"It will, my mother's a strong woman. So, do you live with your parents?"_

_"Yeah, my mum and dad." Salo picked up his bike, and started to walk alongside her. He inspected it for damage, and saw that the mudguard was dented and a bit of paint was scratched. But, overall it was still okay. As the two walked, little did they know that within two years they'd be girlfriend and boyfriend, in six years they'd have twins, in seven years they'd be married, and in twelve years Sara would be widowed with two kids._

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

"And that's how we met." finished Sara, turning to another page.

* * *

_In Red's Base._

"Hey, Emmeleine?" said Tom, leaning on the back of the sofa as Emmeleine read _Superman _comics.

"What?"

"Penis."

"...Whatever."

"Hey, Em?"

"If you say penis again..."

"Pinstripe."

"Right."

"Hey, Emmy."

"WHAT!?"

"What the hell did I do wrong?" Tom asked, before walking off chortling.

"Idiot." said Emmeleine, sighing and returning to what she was doing.

Keye was curled up in her bed, behind a glass screen. Even though she hadn't ran around much that day, she was still exhausted. She was only young, and was both short and thin, another explanation for her lack of energy.

Emmeleine turned her head when she heard the Red team's boys yell and laugh. She dropped the comic and marched over to the boy's sleeping area.

"Guys, shut up! Keye's all tired out, and she's half asleep. Just pipe down, okay?"

"Sorry," said Kretowicz "Okay guys, if Keye's really tired we should keep quiet."

Emmeleine slid the door back across and went to check up on the youngest team member. Keye had her legs curled up to her chest, in an effort to warm herself. Her hair was tied back with a ribbon, and she raised her head as her friend entered the room.

"Hey," said Emmeleine, sitting on the end of the bed. "How're you doing?"

Keye sat up and nodded with a slight smile, but it quickly turned into a yawn. She let herself fall back onto the bed.

"You really shouldn't sleep with a necklace on." said Emmeleine, gesturing at the blue cord, the key still tucked into the twelve year old's shirt.

Keye shook her head and clutched the cord into her hand, indicating her reluctance to remove it from her neck.

"Okay, okay, just don't let it catch on anything. I don't want you choking." Keye gave her the thumbs up.

Emmeleine turned and left the room, returning to the couch.

* * *

Zexion, Lixnus and Ares briskly walked over the grey bricks which formed the walkway. They were in a hurry to get to their five buddies, but they got more than they bargained for when they finally came across them. They were stood along the wall where Sora had first encountered Xigbar, but there was an extra person stood amongst them. She was chatting to Alex and Demetrix, a black shoulderbag slung across her and white skinny leg jeans with a white singlet.

The blonde turned to face the three people who had just walked up.

"Hey, guys." she said, although nervous tones were obvious in her voice. She gave them a smile.

"Naminé, how come you're here?"

"I've never had a real adventure, Roxas is missing. I couldn't pass it up."

"Do you know how to fight?" asked Axel, who was stood a few feet to her left.

"Not exactly... but I can learn out on the field. I DO have a Keyblade, being Kairi's Nobody. I can learn to use it properly." Naminé sounded unsure, but had actually discussed it with Alex a few seconds before Zexion arrived.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I can't either. You've got approval on my part." said Zexion, hoping she'd soon get over her Zexyphobia.

"Okay Naminé, you can come. Just try to keep yourself out of danger." said Axel.

"Great! Now I get to see more than just the islands and the World That Never Was."

"Have you got everything you need? We're headed off in about five minutes." asked Ares.

"Yeah. Water bottle, drawing materials, notebook, clothes, jacket, bit of makeup, magazine, an extra pair of shoes."

"Why do girls always need so much stuff?" asked Demyx.

"Larxene always had three lip glosses, a compact mirror and an eyeshadow/blush palette with her all the time. When I asked why she needed them, she just said: 'Gotta look good!'. What is with that?" said Axel, shaking his head in disbelief at the amount of items Naminé had brought.

All the girls in the group shrugged.

"Don't wanna look like you just crawled outta bed. You never know who might see you." said Demetrix.

"Here," said Alex, holding out a spare cloak "Put this in your bag, too. You might need it later, when we're searching the mountains. It also helps to guard against magic."

"Thanks." said Naminé, folding the heavy clothing and placing it beneath her magazine.

"Okay, let's get to Hollow Bastion. The HBRC will be able to help us, with their tracker." said Ares.

* * *

That's the end of the chapter! It was too long, so I moved the final part that was supposed to be in this one to the start of the next.

Roger, wilco and out,

SkyLandOcean, long time Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy fan. WOO SQUARE AND DISNEY! XD


	6. Screw You

Welcome to the sixth chapter! I hope you've enjoyed it so far, and if you haven't, well, I don't mind. Different tastes. But know this: Any flames will be used to light a toasty fire while you shiver outside in the winter that is your mood, orright?

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is mine. I lie. It isn't. I wish it was, but at this point all I own is fanfiction. Oh well...

* * *

Sora walked down the hall, stretching his arms. He scratched the back of his head, and cracked his neck.

"Hey mum." he said, looking at Sara.

"Morning sweetie." she said, kissing him on the forehead. She caught sight of his upper arms, and paused to have a better look.

"How did this happen?" she asked, looking at some scars on her son's shoulder.

"You're forgetting I have a Keyblade. I'm bound to get a few scratches when I'm warding off Heartless, Nobodies and guys named Mansex and Bigrax."

"I didn't think they'd be that bad." answered Sara, turning his arm to inspect a pink scar. Luckily for Sora, they were all very short, and most had already faded to little but a raised line on his flesh.

"It's no biggie. It'd be Sola who cared if she got some. She's always wearing shorts and vests."

"Huh?" asked a sleepy girl, walking around the corner in her pyjamas. Her eyes were still glazed over, and she sleepily hugged her mother before sitting on a stool at the counter.

"We're talking about my scars." said Sora, sitting next to Sola and swiveling playfully on the barstool.

"Scars?" Sola saw a set of three short scars down his shoulder. "Oh. A Shadow, right?"

"I don't mind. I've only got three on my right and one on my left. Most of them can be hidden by a sleeve, so long as I don't raise my arms up and they slip down."

"Well, I have to go out for groceries. I'll be gone for a couple of hours, so stay out of trouble. Don't forget to bolt the doors and close the curtains."

"Okay, bye. W-we'll close the doors and bolt the curtians, and staple Colin to the wall, yeah."

The dog raised his head at this comment, but laid it back down after he saw how tired Sola was.

"I don't want you to staple Colin the WonderDog to the wall" said Sara, laughing slightly. "Okay, bye kids. I'll see you in about two hours." She kissed the twins and grabbed her bag, before leaving and locking the door. Sora rushed over to the curtains and closed them, to ensure no one would see in.

"I'm gonna get some brekkie." said Sola, walking to the overhead cupboard. She pulled down a box of _Frooty Peces _and reached into the fridge for the milk.

"What time is it?" asked Sora, looking at his one minute and sixteen seconds younger sibling.

"It's 8.59. Oh, wait, nine o'clock."

"Okay, thanks." Sora grabbed a bag of bread and ate two slices, without any bread spreads on it. Sola looked at him strangely. How could he eat like that?

* * *

Giouio opened the door to the green base, and poked her head in.

"Get your green shirts on. We have your next challenge."

"What are we doing? Just so us girls know shorts or skirts." asked Xolas, sarcastically. She wasn't looking forward to this at all.

"Rock climbing. Hurry up! You have five minutes."

_IN RED'S BASE_

"Chop chop! Hurry the bloody hell up, or we'll be late!" ordered Emmeleine, throwing the red shirts at her teammates. They all sighed as they got ready. Not even the Reds were looking forward to this.

Keye walked into the girl's bathroom and pulled off her black tshirt, slipping her red one on. She threw her black one into the hamper, but then realised her necklace was missing. She pulled her shirt back out and shook it, the silver key dropping out with a clink. Keye smiled at the 'C' engraved on it, and put it back on, slipping the pendant beneath the fabric.

"Come on, girl! I need to change my shirt too, and I'm NOT doing it with all these pervs around!" cried Emmeleine. Keye grabbed a comb, unlocked the door and stepped out, pulling it through her locks of hair. Emmeleine entered the bathroom to get ready, and Keye dumped herself on the couch.

Henry sat down next to her, and Tom threw himself to the floor before arranging himself in a sitting position. He then pulled himself up and threw himself down again.

Emmeleine re-entered the room, and saw him doing what looked like a pathetic attempt at a cartwheel. She sighed. "What are you doing?"

"Practising my falls so I don't break my bones."

"Okay then. Let me help." Emmeleine shoved him over and walked off.

"Geez, what kinda bitch is she?" he asked himself, getting up.

Giouio poked her head in the door and informed them that they had to come that minute.

"May as well get it over with. Come on." said Peggy, leading everyone out.

They met the Green team in the same room they had been in before their first challenge.

Roxas stood at the front of the green group, Xolas stood about a metre behind him on his left. Everyone else was nervously shifting their weight from one foot to the other, dreading the appearance of Larry the Dick.

The red team stood in a military fashion, all lined up in single file. Redmond decided to have some fun and puffed his chest out, swinging his arms and marching on the spot. Of course, Emmeleine put a stop to it with a smack around the head.

"Ouch! What the hell?!"

"Stop it, you daft sod." she said, glaring at him.

"Cow."

Another smack and Redmond learned not to cross her again.

"She's very military, isn't she?" stated Serena, looking at the seventeen year old cautiously. She was afraid that she might be the next to be slapped.

"Yeah, she is. But let's worry about our own skills, and not some cranky weirdos'." said Roxas, turning his head to look at Serena. She nodded.

"What skills?" asked Selphie.

"Roxas can jump and fight, Wakka can swim, Tidus can swim and fight, we all have SOMETHING we could use." said Landusoi, looking up at his exceedingly taller sister.

"Too bad we're risking our skins here." said Xolas, frightened of Larry, who had just appeared onscreen.

_"This time it's a rock climbing challenge. For every time you fall, you lose half a life. Nominate who will brave the Wall of Doom now, teams."_

"Wall of Doom, huh? Very CREATIVE!" yelled Roxas, prompting yelling, whistling and whooping from several audience members. He angered very easily, especially when he was confused.

_"Whatever."_

"Okay," said Kretowicz, turning to the rest of his team. "We need a good climber. Emmeleine?"

"Don't look at me. I'd glady face the guns my enemies for Her Majesty The Queen, but I'll never get there if I wind up dead at the foot of a wall."

Tom turned to look at Henry.

"Henza, could you do it?"

"I guess. It doesn't look too dangerous, and we DO get to wear harnesses. What the hey, I'll do it."

"Guys," said Serena "Can any of you climb?"

Xolas looked at everyone in the group, eventually resting her blue eyes on her brother. "Rox, could you manage something like that?"

Roxas looked at the wall. It towered over them, streching higher and higher. He swallowed, but he knew he couldn't let his team down. He was the only one gifted enough to scale it, and certainly didn't want to be the cause of their loss.

"Sure, I'll climb. It can't be that hard, am I right?"

Everyone remained silent.

"AM I RIGHT?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure." said Landusoi, although he definetly was not sure.

_"Have you chosen your climbers?"_

"We SUUUURE have, Larry! Next up, how these regular household appliances could kill you in moments!" said Tim, in the style of a television host.

Of course, a punch from Emmeleine and he quietened down.

"Yep." said Tidus, using as few words as possible.

_"Okay, get ready to climb!" _ said Larry. Henry and Roxas turned to face the wall.

* * *

"I can trace Xolas by her heartbeat. If she's out there, this will pick her up." said Cid, answering the question Alex had just put forward. Alex was the only one of the group in the room, hands on hips, her red fringe hanging down as she bent to get a better look at the screen.

"What if it doesn't show up?" she asked, shifting her green eyes to search the monitor.

"It might not," said Aerith, who was on Cid's left. "If she hasn't actually been registered as a living person in Hollow Bastion, than she probably won't show."

"That's a major setback. Well, I guess it can't be automatic."

"It can't be fixed, it's too complicated a calculation. There's no computer smart enough to take instructions that specific." remarked Yuffie. Everyone turned to look at her, surprised.

"What? I can be more than a ninja! I can do maths and play with computers if I want!"

"Okay, that was a bit stuffed up." said Leon.

"She can be smart if she wants to." said Rinoa, walking over to the computer too "So, has Xolas shown up?"

"Still processing." A big red sign came up on the screen: 'NO MATCH'.

"Crap. She isn't registered. First thing I'm going to do when she gets back is take Xolas, and get it done." said Alex. "Thanks for the help anyway. I'd better get going and search. See ya." She walked out, waving her right hand as she departed.

Outside, she spoke to the others. "Any luck?" asked Naminé, clasping her hands behind her back. Alex shook her head.

Naminé groaned inwardly.

"We'll have to split up and search. There's nine of us, so we'll go in groups of four and five, and search two at a time." said Lixnus.

They arranged themselves into two groups, composed of Axel, Ares, Naminé and Zexion, and Demyx, Demetrix, Lixnus, Xeonide and Alex.

Agreeing that Axel's group would search Traverse Town, and Demyx's group would look around the Deep Jungle, they seperated off.

* * *

Lomora was dreading her return to school. Even when she had been there, almost three years before, she was given a lot of crap. Having naturally black hair and reasonably pale skin made her the target of bullies and sometimes even passers by.

She sighed as she slipped on her yellow blouse, and tied her sea green tie around her neck. Her knee length white socks were neatly pulled up, and her jade green skirt came down, resting one inch above. Her yellow eyes peeked out from her neatly cut fringe, as she regarded her image in the mirror.

"Great, I think I've put on weight." she said, looking at her waist. Oh well, she wasn't the only one returning to school at Destiny Islands Catholic College. Xenortatia, Lexa, Lurmioa, Sulin, Ienzo, Demitre, Rafo and Lewe were all going back that day, and the rest of the Twelve Twelves were returning the following day.

"Lomora! Come on, or you'll be late!"

"Coming! I just know I'm going to hate high school. At least we're being put in at grade ten. I don't know how dumb I'd feel if we were put in year seven or eight."

Her mother's voice rang out again. "Hurry!"

Lomora sighed as she restrained her thick locks into four pigtails, two on either side. She grabbed her uniform green and yellow backpack, and plaited the pigtails at the front as she climbed down the stairs.

"There you are! I thought you'd been kidnapped by the Martians or something!" said her blonde mother, gently smiling.

"Ookaay. Anyway, I'd best get going. I promised the guys I'd walk in with them. I'd better not be late, because I'm PRETTY sure I'll need the moral support." she said the second half of her last sentence with a half grin, nodding her head.

"Alright, bye sweetie." Lomora kissed her mother goodbye, and jumped down the doorstep, walking into the street.

Out of nowhere, a short girl with dirty blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail came up on her right.

"Hey, Lomora!" said Demitre, linking her arm up with the 5"4' girl.

"Hi, Dem!"

Demitre was wearing the same uniform as Lomora, but with the school jumper. She had the sleeves rolled up over her elbows, and her backpack grasped in her hand.

"You looking forward to returning?" asked the shorter girl.

"I'm really nervous."

"So am I."

"You don't look it." said Lexa, her head of pale blonde hair appearing from around a corner.

"Jeez! You scared the crap outta me!" cried Lomora, jumping with fright. Lexa laughed at her friend's expense.

"I know I don't look nervous," said Demitre, hooking her spare arm around Lexa's "but I am. I'm positively petrified. I have butterflies in my stomach."

"Don't worry, the police have come up with and created evidence for a made up story." said Lomora, swatting at a fly which had landed on her.

"Oh yeah, the one where we were 'trapped on an island'. That's actually pretty good. We've been back for two weeks, haven't we?"

"Yep." answered Ienzo, joining the group. Sulin was by his brother's side. "Except for me. I have to tell the truth, that I ran away, because I left a note behind."

"What did it say?"

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_To Mum and Dad, and that little brat who got me into this mess._

_You don't even care, I'll bet you don't even notice I'm gone. But that fight today was the LAST STRAW. _

_If you do care enough to read this, I'll be long gone by the time you do. You never recognize my talents,_

_so I'll go somewhere, and find someone that does. I don't really care if I never see you again, especially YOU,_

_Sulin. I'm not going to come running back in a day or two. Never expect to see me again. You'll notice I've taken _

_all my notebooks and my wallet. There's enough money in there to live off for quite a while, and to travel quite far._

_Don't bother calling the police. I'll be over the ocean by then. Screw you._

_Ienzo (Not that you'd care what my name is, you don't even know I exist)_

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

"Whoa. That note was a little harsh, huh?" said Lexa.

Ienzo shrugged. "I know it was nasty to say that, but I was really pissed off. To tell you the truth, this is going to be extra hard for me. When I was in Hollow Bastion, I used the computer to look myself up on the net. The website I found said that I had been declared dead in absentia. They thought that it was 95 percent likely that I had taken my own life." he said, recalling the words typed on the internet. "And just so you know, Sulin, I didn't mean what I said."

"I know."

They were now only one hundred metres away from the school gate. They could see an ocean of green and yellow pouring in through the painted gates, ready to begin another day of school. Destiny Islands Catholic College was the largest school on the island, with around two thousand day kids, and three hundred boarders.

On the final stretch, Lurmioa, Rafo, Xenortatia and Lewe joined them, and they all walked through the gates together.

* * *

That's the end of the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave me a review!

Roger, wilco and out,

SkyLandOcean


	7. Suzume

Hello, and welcome to chapter seven! Boogie. Just checking that you're paying attention! XD

* * *

The bell sounded out, and Ienzo was the only one who knew what to do. He led the group to the office, where they could collect their locker keys. The principal and staff had already been informed that they were coming back.

The administration was practically barren, with not one student there. There were a few teachers talking around the water cooler, who scurried off to their classes, and three receptionists talking on the phone.

Xenortatia looked up at the gold and green banner behind the counter. The school motto was stitched in yellow thread, high above the teenagers.

"'Ad maiorem dei gloriam'. What does that mean?" asked Demitre, looking at the Aomori brothers.

"It's Latin. It means; 'For the greater glory of God'." said Ienzo, shifting his gaze upwards.

A nearby woman sat at the counter placed down her phone and waved them over.

"Hello, how are you?" she asked. It was procedure to ask that question to everyone. She looked at the oldest boy cautiously, as though she was afraid he would strangle her with the phone cord.

"Good, thanks." said Ienzo. Everyone else replied the same.

"That's good. How can I help you?"

"We're here to collect our locker keys. You've probably been informed that we were returning to school today."

"What's your name?" she asked, even though she knew beforehand. Just speaking to him made her worry. If he could do a lot of damage to fellow students, as he had done before he had run away, what could he do now? He was very tall, and looked a heap stronger.

"Ienzo Aomori. I was told the keys would be in an envelope under my name."

"Aomori. Here it is." The receptionist pulled out a yellow envelope, with their family names scrawled on it in blue biro. She handed it over to them. "Also, your locker numbers are 45, 46,47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, and 53. It's so good to have you with us." she said smiling.

"We're glad to be here." said Ienzo.

"Okay, run along now. You probably won't have time to get to homeroom, so just get to your first class. Your timetables are in the envelope too."

"Thanks. C'mon, let's go get our lockers."

After the bell, they all rushed off to their classes. On the way down the hall to his locker, Ienzo made sure his fringe covered his eyes well. He didn't want to be recognized until he got to class. He didn't know why, but it just made him feel better. Little did Ienzo know, that he probably wouldn't be recognized straight away anyway.

* * *

"_GO!" _ cried Larry.

Henry and Roxas ran to the base of the wall, where their safety belts were laid. They stepped into them, and strapped them around their waists. Attached to each was a cable, which ran up to the top of the wall, connecting them. It would slowly retract upwards as they climbed, to prevent them from falling.

Roxas grasped ahold of a blue stone, and placed his left foot on a yellow one. He pushed and pulled himself upwards towards the top.

Henry full-on jumped onto the wall, getting himself higher than Roxas. The red team cheered as he began to scale the wall.

"Come on, Henry!" yelled Peggy, waving a fist in the air.

Xolas stuck her tongue out at him. "Our climber's better than yours!" she said, placing one hand on her hips and swaying them, while pointing at the Red team with the other.

"Team," said Emmeleine, turning so that she was side on to the Greenies. "In line!"

They hastily lined up behind her.

"And, RIGHT BURN!" Everyone raised their hands and flipped Xolas off. Emmeleine then spoke again. "At ease." And they all dropped their fingers, and stepped out of the line, straight faces.

Xolas' jaw hung open for a couple of seconds, but she shut it and then retaliated with her own string of insults.

Roxas stopped climbing for a moment to look at his ranting sister on the ground, who was now insulting Emmeleine on her intelligence.

"...and so's your dad!"

Henry had been undistracted by the war of words and flurry of rude gestures, and had continued to climb. He was now about five metres ahead of Roxas, a huge gap which needed closing.

Emmeleine simply turned away and began to speak with her team. A few seconds later they were all waving their arms in the air, chanting out "LET'S GO HENRY, LET'S GO!" and clapping their hands.

"Roxas, Roxas! He's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!" cried Serena, her competitive side coming out. She tried to yell louder than the Red team, and was doing one hell of a good job.

Most of the Green team joined in, save Xolas, who was still insulting them. "...AND THEN YOU HAD SEX WITH A MOLLUSC!"

Roxas shook his head and sped up his climbing, missing several stones and pulling himself up quicker. His hands became blistered, but he was determined to bring back a win for his team.

Henry slipped, now with just the left side of his body on the wall.

"WHOA!" he cried, desperately clinging to the red rock, and trying not to slip from the orange one. Henry's heart pounded in his ears, the weight on his hand causing it to blister. Should he let go and lose half of a life, or attempt to get his balance back on track? He had very little time to choose, as Roxas slowly gained on him.

The Red team below stopped cheering and looked upwards, in awed silence. Keye managed a gasp, but no other sound came from her mouth. Green, however, yelled and egged their leader on, hoping that he would pass the thirteen year old before he got his grip back on the artificial rocks.

Henry couldn't help but look down, where Roxas' determined face got closer to his position.

"Come on! You can do it! Just get yourself back on!" yelled Kretowicz, worriedly switching his gaze between the two climbers. Keye jumped up and down in place, waving her right arm the way a footy supporter would.

By now Roxas was at about the same level, and if not that, about five centimetres ahead. Part of his nature was to offer help, and so he inadvertently took ahold of Henry's hand, swinging him back to the wall, where he proceeded to regain his grip.

"Thanks." he said, slightly breathless from his ordeal.

"Don't mention it." Roxas continued his climb, Henry on his tail.

"How tall is that wall, anyway?" asked Landusoi, running his eyes up and down the structure.

"Dunno. Fifty metres?" said Zoe, shrugging.

"That's a lot. Especially if you fall."

"They're not gonna," said Xolas, taking a break from calling Emmeleine a ferret, "They have harnesses."

_"Not anymo-ore!" _ came the voice of Larry, in a sing song tone. The teams on the ground saw the cables linking the two to the summit fall down, rendering the two climbers helpless. If they fell now, they'd have no chance of surviving.

"Oh, crap!" said Henry, nervously clutching the stones. The floor suddenly seemed so much further away now. He shook his head, brown-blonde hair fluttering about a bit, and he shakily resumed his climb.

A similar thing was happening to Roxas, but to less of an extreme. He knew he could use some of his skills to remain on the wall if he lost his grip.

When Roxas took a glance upwards, he was amazed to see that he had climbed up exteremely high, and was now only about four metres from the top. He sped up, pulling himself upwards faster and faster. He was now only centimetres from the top. Roxas grabbed the ledge and heaved his weight up, pulling himself onto the summit.

"Yeah!" he cried, pumping a fist in the air.

Henry reached the top a few moments later, looking tired and a bit disappointed. "Congrats." he said, shaking the older boy's hand. The Red team all groaned, and Emmeleine began swearing.

"DAMN IT!" she screamed.

"It's not my fault!" cried Henry, from the wall.

"Whose is it, then?!"

"Not mine!" Henry began his descent, and dropped to the ground when he was five metres above it. Roxas did the same.

"Yeah, way to go Roxas!" said Zoe, bouncing up and down happily.

_"And, a win for green!" _A chart appeared on the screen, and a tally showed that both teams had gotten a win each.

"Yes! We're catching up!" cried Xolas.

* * *

Sora, Riku, Kairi and Sola were on the beach near their houses, gazing at the sunset. Sola laid on her back and looked at the colours streaking across the sky, as if someone had thrown pots of blue, pink, red, orange and yellow paint into the atmosphere. Sora leant back on his hands, Kairi resting against his chest, and Riku laid on his stomach, looking as the cool blue ocean reflected the sun's dying rays.

"We've definetely changed." said Riku, bringing everyone's attention to himself. Sola sat up.

"How so?"

"A year ago you'd be poking Sora, rubbing sand in his hair, and probably whinging about mosquitoes. A year ago, Kairi would be sat next to Sora, not leaning on him, and Sora would be blushing furiously if she did. A year ago I'd spar with Sora, using a wooden sword. Now we all fight Nobodies and Heartless."

"We haven't changed. We just... grew up." said Kairi, snuggling closer to Sora. He placed a hand around her shoulders.

"Well, how much more growing up are we going to do? What are we even going to do when we leave school? We can't fight darkness all our lives. We'd never settle down."

"You're right. I mean, you and I have missed an entire year of school. My mum already said that in the circumstances, the government won't make us repeat it, but still." said Sora.

"One year ago, we were normal kids. Now we're young adults. Young adults with major responsibilities. Even more major than saving up for a car, I mean we have to protect people!" said Kairi.

"And we still haven't 'returned'. When are we going to? I know we'll have to wait until our friends are found, but how difficult are we making it? Any moment, we could be called away. But the problem is, I don't want to give up either life." added Riku, getting up. He dusted off his shirt.

"Neither." said Sola. "I want to be normal, but I don't want to lose the opportunities that come with the Keyblade."

"Could we do both?" asked Sora.

"Yes, but it won't be easy." said Kairi. "I'm gonna head home now. I need some rest."

Kairi stood up and waved to her friends as she walked off.

* * *

Ienzo had spent the entire morning with his fringe over his eyes, hiding from the view of his classmates. It had seemed like an age by the time recess rolled around, but even then he tried to keep a low profile. A group of people were nearby, with a girl stood in the centre.

He nervously glanced at the group of teenagers and placed his books down onto one of the many wooden tables. He sat at the bench, and got out his maths books. Ienzo completed his algebra with great ease, at some points not even needing a calculator.

"Oi."

Ienzo looked up through his fringe, and saw a slightly taller boy nearby. He was looking directly at him. He used a thumb to gesture to himself, silently asking if he was the one whose attention was wanted.

"Yeah, you, emo boy. You interested in a girlfriend? I know a right weirdo who'd be perfect for you."

Everyone in the group laughed, save one girl, who looked like she was about to cry.

Ienzo shook his head, and came back with something his friends had dubbed an 'Itzult.' Although they weren't always insulting, they were always snappy.

"No thanks, I'm not interested in the slave trade. You however, are a fine specimen. You could have only been created with the finest of seventeen generations of inbreeding."

For a second, he looked like he was about to punch him. But, he quickly cooled off and shrugged.

"Meh. Anyway, you can have her. She's too weird for anyone else." The boy shoved the girl who was on the verge of tears at him. She had violet eyes, and blue hair cut into a bobcut. She wore the standard girl's uniform for the school. Ienzo took a moment to recognize her, but almost immediately knew that she was Suzume, his best friend from year eight.

"You can have the little slut."

The group dispersed, not bothered with the two anymore.

"What's your name, anyway?" she asked, hoping that he wouldn't be like the others.

He placed an arm over Suzume's shoulders, trying his best to offer comfort.

"My name is Ienzo Aomori." He said it clearly, with courage from seeing his old friend.

Suzume turned to look at him properly, and stood in front of him. She stepped forward, and with her index and middle fingers, brushed his hair back off of his face. He watched as she took in the sight of him, struggling to recognize his facial features.

The last time Suzume had seen him, he was barely a teenager. The same still applied, although he was in the twilight of his teens. She traced over his nose, under his chin, and over his lips. His face and body had changed a fair bit, seeing as he had grown at least two feet taller, and that for the time he was working under Ansem, and later Xehanort, he had been doing a lot of running about after Heartless. He was no longer the skinny, short boy Suzume had last seen. He was a taller, more muscled version of himself. Finally, her eyes were drawn upwards, where they met his.

Suzume looked at his irises, and searched for what she was sure would help her recognize him. Down, in the bottom left of his right iris, was a small dark blue dot, amongst the lines which formed the pattern. It was the only dot in either of his eyes. Just to ensure that she got the message, Ienzo undid the top button of his shirt, and slid part of his collar across. At the base of his neck, where it met his shoulder, there was a small birthmark. It looked a little like a shield.

Struggling to make herself speak, she said his nickname.

"Itz..." Suzume wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and he didn't hesitate to return the hug. "I thought you were dead. The police said you must have killed yourself. All the evidence pointed to it."

"Well, my evidence is that I'm right here, so I couldn't have." he said, with a small smile playing on his lips.

Suzume let out a small, sobbing laugh. "I'm gonna wake up, and it will be a dream. Like all the other times."

He looked at Suzume's purple orbs, which were downcast. Ienzo knew that she genuinely thought it was a dream. He lifted her head with his right hand, so she was looking him in the eye.

"I don't have to be a dream anymore. I'm really here, and I'm never going to leave again."

"I... can't think straight. How are you here? When did you get back? Why did you leave?"

"The first answer is because of some new friends I made. The second is a couple of weeks. The third is I was really pissed off, and couldn't handle all the stress anymore."

"Your voice is different." she said; in her disbelief bringing up random things which didn't matter.

He replied, quoting an episode of a show he had seen the previous night: "The monster Puburtus has cursed me."

Suzume laughed, as she hugged him again.

"I'm really sorry about everything. I won't be putting anyone else in hospital."

"What about your brother?"

"He's back. I realized how angry and upset I'd made him. Especially since he was holding onto the sleeve of my labcoat and wouldn't let go."

"You still don't make any sense. You're giving me random facts, and nothing to string them together."

"Would Cellotape work?"

She tipped her head back and laughed, something she had done as long as Ienzo had known her.

"It's just too bad that soon you'll be gone."

"Huh?"

"You're a dream! It always seems so realistic, but then I blink and wake up. It's happened every night since you left. It's always different. Just two nights ago, you told me in my dream that you were dead in a field on the outskirts, waiting to be found." She started to sob.

"I'm not a dream." he said, stroking her hair.

"You are. You always manage to convince me, but then you dissolve away. You always say different things. This time, I want to say something. I never got to tell you before you ran away and left me."

_Oh, God..._

"I..., well, erm. God, I can't say it. Even to a dream-y hallucination thing, I can't say it."

"In these dreams, can you feel me when we hug?" he asked, trying to figure out how to convince her.

"Yeah. But then and only then. It's just a mind trick, anyway. Most of the time, you just pass through me."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you don't care?"

"Of course I care."

"You didn't care enough to stay."

Suzume had him there. He didn't know how to answer her. There was a silence, but Suzume looked like the was about to start crying. He had to convince her otherwise. But how? Finally, it hit him. He was somewhat reluctant, not knowing how she would react to it. But it was his only chance of seeing her every day, and not having her burst into tears.

_Okay, I can do this._

Ienzo put his hand under her chin, to make eye contact. When he had it, he slowly moved his head forward, kissing her gently on the lips. He prayed that she wouldn't pull away, and it seemed to work. She stood rooted to the spot, shocked by what was happening. Ienzo sensed her discomfort, and broke the kiss, standing back a little to watch her reaction.

"Okay, I'm almost convinced. Now, I'm going to run several names through my mind. I'm not going to think my real name, to block you out of my subconcious. If you say the wrong one, then I know you're a dream. Okay, the question. What's my name?"

_Alice. Julia. Jane. Zaharah. Fiona. Queenie. Suki. Janai. Katie. Lana. Tina. Alexis. Denika._

As quick a heartbeat, Ienzo answered. "Suzume."

She blinked twice, and as quick as Ienzo had answered her question, she fainted into his arms.

* * *

In their base, Green were lounging around. Roxas was laid out on his bed, eyes staring at the ceiling. Trying his darndest to concoct a plan, nothing came to mind. He glanced over at the brown paper bag, containing some icy-poles, which had been given as their prize.

Sighing, he straightened his posture, bringing himself into a sitting position.

A few strands of blond hair fell down onto the right side of his face, which he pushed back with a groan. He had no idea how much longer the gel he already had in his hair would last, but it was sure that it wasn't long before his hair would totally collapse around his face. But the height of his hair was the least of his worries. The main burden was to get out of there, with his sister and the Destiny Islanders in tow.

Selphie sat on the ground, with items from the cupboard spread out around her. Amongst the shirts, skirts and trousers, she found the odd peice of money, or stick of gum. A wave of disturbance, sorrow and disgust washed over her, as she realised that this was what previous competitiors had in their pockets, at the time of their 'deletion'.

Wakka sat on the old couch next to Serena, who was resting on the arm, half asleep. She couldn't be bothered moving into her own bed. Wakka himself was asleep, breathing gently.

Xolas was looking through the board games, looking for something worthwhile to do. The Monopoly set had several missing peices, and she wondered how many times this had been played with before.

Zoe was resting on her bed, trying to remain calm. She was fighting back the tears brought about by their unfortunate circumstances. Landusoi was on the other side of the door, eating some cream crackers and Vegemite, also fighting the need to sob.

Tidus laid on the ground, eyes squeezed tightly shut, willing for someone to come up with a brilliant plan.

Finally, Selphie broke down. She had just found a keychain with a photograph of a baby in it, inscribed: "My Sister Katie, 1/5/80." She never thought that this sadistic show would stretch back so far. Tidus got up and walked to her side, sitting next to her. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, Selphie showed the keyring to him.

"How many other... people... do you think... have been... in this... this, th-this room... before us?" she asked, crying on his shoulder.

"Too many." said Serena, also rising to her feet.

Roxas saw the scene through the glass door, and slid it across to go over and sit with the group.

"Don't worry. If it's the last thing I do, we will be the final competitors."

* * *

Suzume awoke in the sick room, laid on one of four beds they had. She saw the ceiling first, as she had been laid on her back, and sat up slowly. Her head was killing her.

"I knew it was a dream. Why does my mind play tricks like that? It's cruel." That was when she felt a hand on her arm. It gave her a start, and she flicked her head around to look at who had touched her.

She saw the same guy from her 'dream' smiling at her. She caught sight of the blue dot instantly, and almost fainted again.

"Hey. I told you I wasn't a dream. I'm here." he said softly, and quietly. "Your mind seems to swing between seeing me for real and thinking I'm a dream. It should start to clear up now that you know I'm here."

"It's not possible. You can't be alive. They declared you dead ages ago."

"Death in absentia means that the person is probably dead. I wasn't. But, I'm back, so you don't have to worry anymore." She pulled him into a hug. "I never should have left. Now, my sisters and brother have gone and disappeared. Now I know how they felt."

"If you could turn up again, they will too. I heard that three more people, and two unidentified teenagers disappeared as well."

"They will turn up again. They can look after themselves. But, I know they didn't run away. I did, and I said some really nasty things in that note. I'm sorry for scaring you."

"You're back now. I couldn't be happier, even if everyone else in the school thinks I'm crazy." she answered, looking around to ensure no one was overhearing their conversation.

"Why would they think you were crazy?"

"Because I was under a heap of stress, and I slowly seperated myself away. I'm an outcast. So, everyone assumes I have mental problems. Now that you're here, I already feel the stress disappearing."

Suzume smiled at him, but then saw the clock. It was ten past ten, and she realised that they were both late for class.

"Crap! We're late!"

"You just fainted. Are you sure you can manage?" asked Ienzo.

"I'm fine. I just need some migraine tablets."

One of the school nurses walked into the room, apparently to check up on her. She smiled when she saw that Suzume was awake, and handed her a glass of water. She reached into a cupboard, and pulled down a box of Nurofen.

"How are you holding up?" she asked, handing her two red liquid capsules.

"Fine, thanks." answered the girl, popping the tablets into her mouth and swallowing them down. "I think I can go to class now."

"Okay, but if you feel even the slightest bit sick, come back here. We'll call your dad."

"C'mon." said Ienzo, taking her hand. He smiled at the woman on the way out, and walked with Suzume to their lockers.

* * *

That's the end of that chapter! Please leave me a review, although no flames please. That was a really long chapter. It's about a third longer than I originally intended, but I got carried away. I wanted to show how a friend of Ienzo's would react to his return, and to show what she had been through after his disappearance. If you ask me, I'd say it was a bit angsty, but I'll lighten it off next chapter. I'm gonna start work on chapter eight. Bye!

SkyLandOcean


	8. Raccoon City

Welcome to the eighth chapter! In this chapter, there are areas of Traverse Town not featured in the game, I don't want the search to be over too quickly.

* * *

Ienzo and Suzume opened their green lockers, and grabbed their books. Suzume asked which class he had.

"I'm in Z05, for English."

Suzume checked her own timetable. "I don't believe it. The first lesson after I finally see you for the first time in years, and we're in the same class. Freaky."

"More like awesome. Come on, we don't want to be too late. There'll be another ice age before we get there."

They closed the doors of their lockers, securing them with their combination locks.

"Z05's only two halls away. We should get there in about a minute." said Suzume, as they began to walk alongside eachother. She occaisonally looked at Ienzo, as though she was afraid he'd dissolve. As they walked, the class slowly came into view.

"To tell you the truth, I'm pretty nervous. This is going to be hard. Facing them all, after what I did... I'm a proud guy, and this is just going to make me feel humiliated." said Ienzo, anxious to face his classmates.

"Don't worry. It'll all be okay in the end." she said.

They reached the door, and Ienzo hesitated to knock.

"And besides, who's to say that they'll know who you are at first? I didn't, and I've hung out with you since year two."

Taking a deep breath, he knocked three times, before grabbing the handle and letting himself and Suzume into the room.

"Sorry we're late." said Suzume, setting her books down on a desk at the front. "I needed to go to the sickbay, so my friend here helped me out."

No one took any notice, and Ienzo noticed why. The boy from before was arguing with another, and everyone in the class had chosen sides. Despite the school

being a private one, many of the students were ill-behaved. The fees weren't high, and the school's acceptance standards were lax to say the least.

The teacher at the front of the room was trying to shut them up, but was being too passive to gain their attention.

"Everyone, please-" his voice was drowned out by the screaming crowd.

"Mister Bannon, what's going on?" asked Suzume, practically having to yell.

"I don't know. I came in, and they were already like this. They won't listen to me."

Ienzo ducked, to avoid a low flying chair. It crashed into the cabinet behind him, denting the steel badly.

"Whoa, that could have been my head." Suddenly, punches began to be thrown. Boys fell to the floor, and girls jumped back to avoid being caught up in the mess. Suzume had enough, and jumped into the crowd to sort them out.

"For the love of Christ! What do you think this is, a zoo?! It's a school, and more than that, a PRIVATE school! You're acting like chimps!" she cried, pushing two boys apart. "Who caused this?!"

All fingers pointed at the boy whom Ienzo had only met minutes ago.

"I should have known it was you, Warren." said Ienzo, finally recognizing his face. Everyone fell silent, to look at who had spoken.

"How do you know my name, emo boy?" asked Warren, advancing threateningly towards the shorter and more intelligent boy. A girl in the group hiccuped, and that gave Ienzo grounds for another Itzult.

"You're right, Stephanie. Warren IS a hick."

Warren growled, and raised a fist.

"Nuh, uh, uh. If you want to know how I know your names, then you'd better not resort to violence, or I'll never tell you."

"Fine. Tell us."

"Figure it out." said Ienzo, his anxiousness disappearing as he spoke.

"I can't even be bothered. Your name probably doesn't matter." said Georgia, from the group of girls. Everyone else quickly agreed with her.

"Okay," answered Ienzo, shrugging. "But I bet you'll be surprised. Just you wait."

The rest of the class continued without incident, save for Ienzo and Suzume talking and laughing happily at several points in the lesson. Warren occasionally glanced over at the two, and seemed angry when Ienzo let Suzume lean on him, and when he draped an arm around her shoulders.

Finally, lunchtime arrived. Ienzo had to seperate from Suzume for a minute, to go and speak to the teacher of his next class. On the way back, as he was about to round a corner, he heard Warren talking with some other boys.

"Who does that little creep think he is, moving in on Suzume like that? You know I've been after her for years, and next thing I know, she's flirting with the new guy!"

"Who does Suzume think SHE is, ignoring you like that?" said another boy, who Ienzo recognized as Scott. (AN: These guys are all named after people who used to be cruel to me in primary school. But, if anyone from my current school is reading this, they don't go there. If you have the same name, I'm not on about you.)

_A girl with a brain. _

"I've known her for her entire life, and this guy's known her for, what? An hour?"

Ienzo shrugged and walked off. This guy must be stupid, to think that Suzume would react positively to being called crazy and weird.

* * *

Settling back in was no easier for Sulin. Having taken nothing from his room when he disappeared, everyone was positive that he was dead. Being younger than Ienzo meant that he still looked slightly childish, and more like his self from three years earlier. He would be easily recognized.

"I guess you're our new student." said Miss Cherie, smiling at him. They were stood in a disorderly group outside the room, not quite ready to go in.

He nodded, kicking himself for not taking better action in remaining unseen.

"That's right." said Sulin, glad that his voice had changed. However, he almost screamed when Amarit recognized him. She was his ex-girlfriend, who had dumped him not long after Ienzo disappeared.

"Sulin, is that you?" she asked, from where she was stood a few feet away. He turned to face her, and sighed.

Amarit had grown a lot taller, and increased in prettiness. Her ginger hair was tied up in a bun, and her emerald eyes shone from beneath her fringe. She gasped as she saw his face, barely changed by time. He looked older, but there was still the general shape which gave away the game.

"You got me. Yep, I'm Sulin."

Amarit couldn't really speak. A whispered "Oh, my God." passed her lips, but nothing more. The whole class looked at the two in silence.

"Well, this is awkward." said Sulin, not knowing whether to move or stay in place. Before he could make his decision, Amarit had wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry for what I did! I shouldn't have done it, not when I knew about your brother!"

Sulin didn't know what to say, so just wrapped his arms around her waist.

"It's okay." he said, blushing slightly at the knowledge that everyone was staring. Luckily, most had smiles on their faces, not looks of surprise.

"C'mon, let's leave them alone for a while." Miss Cherie led everyone else inside, so that the two could have some privacy.

"So," asked Amarit, breaking the hug and wiping her eyes. "How long have you been back?"

"Couple weeks. Not long."

Barely any time had passed at all, before she had asked for another chance. Sulin was surprised that she could bring something like it up almost immediately, but agreed to it. He was glad for someone to talk to, who actually existed outside his family and close circle of buddies, even if she had dumped him at the worst possible time.

"What about Trobe?" he asked.

"Oh, please. He was seven guys ago, and I just ditched the latest."

"How many boyfriends did you have before me?"

Amarit counted in her head. "Three."

_Jeez, Ammy's a bit of a get-around. Oh, well. She's better than nothing. At least I have the courage to speak to her._

* * *

After school ended, Ienzo said goodbye to Suzume with another kiss. Their houses were in opposite directions, and so they parted ways at the gates. Ienzo was a few metres away when Warren came up behind him and shoved him. He managed to keep his balance, due to several years of fighting against Heartless and kids with keys, and whirled around to face the mauve-haired guy.

"What do you want?" he asked, with indignance in his voice.

"I've been after Suzume for YEARS, and you kiss her on the day you meet?!"

"Well, that doesn't surprise me. Why would she have any feelings for a guy who calls her, oh what was it? 'Little slut'?"

"I wanted her attention!"

"Well, you sure got it. For all the wrong reasons. What happened to you? You used to be so smart, and now you push girls around for fun. You've become a jerk." said Ienzo, recalling when Warren had suddenly 'crossed over' in year four.

"How do you know any of that, emo boy?"

"First of all, drop the 'emo' stuff. Second, if you hadn't have threatened me before, you'd know. Third of all, bye." Ienzo turned to leave, but Warren grabbed his shirt. He pulled it out from being tucked in, and raised a fist to thump the 'freak', but suddenly stepped back. A small crowd had gathered, mostly made up of Warren's bloodthirsty friends, who wondered why he had suddenly stopped. They wanted to see some fighting.

"What the fuck happened to your stomach? It's like someone gutted you with a fuckin' rake."

Ienzo pulled his shirt back down, and stepped away. "You don't wanna know how it happened. The bare essentials are that I was attacked, and it really, really hurt. It was a psycho with a grudge against me and four very sharp knives."

"It wasn't one of those nutty Aomori guys, was it?" asked Amy.

"Um, NO. It was a guy with a grudge. I'd punched him in the face a few days before. Now, I'm leaving." Ienzo walked away, leaving the confused crowd behind.

* * *

Suzume decided against telling her parents, and chose to let them find out on their own. If she did say something, even so much as his name, they'd drone on about letting go of the past and breaking free, or some psychic junk. She had grown sick of the aromatherapy that her pyschologist had recommended, especially seeing as her room always smelt like frankincense now.

They wouldn't understand her, and make a huge fuss. Suzume knew that they only wanted to help, but it was the help that drove her mad. She wasn't allowed to do anything, and the only CDs she now owned were 'Sounds of the Ocean', 'Sounds of the Rainforest', and an 'I Can Do This' motivational tape. It sucked big time.

* * *

Axel looked around the town, green eyes scanning every brick of each building. His three friends, Naminé, Zexion and Ares, also gazed about at the lampposts flickering, dying slowly. There were even fewer inhabitants of the town than when Sora had first arrived there, and that was saying something.

"I don't see anyone." remarked the blue-eyed girl, completing her examination of the area. She sighed, and knew deep down that they wouldn't find Roxas and the gang in the town.

Axel, however, wasn't convinced. "Maybe everyone's hiding indoors. Maybe they're still afraid of the Heartless, or heard about Nobodies and freaked out."

"Coulda done." answered Ares, stepping forward a bit to glance into the corner of an alley. Zexion watched her movements, as she quickly flicked her head to look into an abandoned restaurant. She continued to walk, but turned back suddenly. "Are we gonna search for them, or stand around looking good?"

Zexion shook his head, in order to straighten out his thoughts. "Yeah, we'll never find anything, let alone our friends, if we don't have a look around."

"True. Okay, I'll take the Third District, Ares take the Second, and Zexion and Naminé can take the First. Splitting up will make things easier."

Ares approached the door to the Second District, and swung it open. She disappeared behind the hardwood when it shut behind her.

"C'mon, Naminé." said Zexion, looking at the girl, who nervously took a couple of steps towards him. She had grown more nervous now, as Axel had just teleported to the Third District, leaving her alone with the Cloaked Schemer.

She walked nervously alongside him, distancing herself by about two metres, and walking three metres behind him. Naminé was still totally petrified, and didn't want to get too close to Zexion, for fear he would yell at her the way he had on that one, fateful day.

Zexion wanted to say something to her, but couldn't think of a thing to speak about. The weather was hardly a good subject, and the fact that there were heaps of places from where an attacker could leap out wasn't a good icebreaker either. He sighed, causing Naminé to freeze in position, taking the strap of her bag in her hand, and squeeze it until her knuckles turned white. Of course, it wasn't a killer sigh or something which could leap behind her and break her neck, but she was still scared as hell at the sudden noise.

"I can't see anything," said Zexion, finally trying to break the tension. "I'm going to check around that corner." He turned around to face her, and noticed her twiddling her thumbs, head facing downwards to avoid looking at him.

Zexion walked away, leaving a frightened Naminé in the open. Her blue eyes managed to drag their focus from the ground to her surroundings, and she slowly turned to walk in the other direction.

Walking through this town, the young Nobody was anxious of what could be lurking in the shadows. Swinging her head around every couple of seconds, and clutching her black bag closer to her body, she quietly whimpered. She'd rather have Zexion walking with her than being all alone, vulnerable in this town. For all she knew, this could be a regular Raccoon City, and in a moment she could be chased around by a festering zombie.

"No, I'm being stupid." said Naminé, ceasing her movements, drawing her limbs in, and standing in the middle of a street. A light flickered on above her, and she gasped, before running into the shadows.

"Who's there?" came a man's voice. Naminé peeped out from her hiding place to see a man stood in a window. Behind him was a woman, two children with their arms wrapped around her, faces contorted with fear. The building was a huge one, taking up several blocks. It was high too, about four storeys.

"Is it the Nobodies again?" asked a young boy, his violet eyes looking up at the woman who; judging by the look of things, was his mum.

"I saw someone. It could have been a Nobody, but I didn't see for long enough."

"What if it's someone who needs help? What if they're in danger?" asked another little boy.

"Get into bed. The creatures can't get you there." answered the woman, turning away with the two boys. Of course, the safeness of one's bed is exagerrated by the warmth and softness. A Heartless or Nobody could easily slash the quilt from your scared body, and steal your heart before you had time to react. A bed is hardly a bomb shelter.

Naminé couldn't help but think this as she heard the rustling of bedclothes. How she wished she had her own bed to crawl into, even if it wouldn't protect her from the beasts prowling in the shadows. She was aware that she herself was in a tight squeeze, with the man on the balcony looking for Nobodies and Heartless, of which she was the former, and the looming darkness of her hiding place. Naminé's hands became sweaty, her skin prickled, and her breathing quicker, as she tried to think. She had just heard a footstep behind her, and seen a flash from the corner of her eye.

_"What is it? It could be anything, a murderer, a Heartless, a rogue Nobody. Ares isn't in this district, she can't call the Heartless off. I'm alone..."_

She felt something touch her arm, and she forced herself to look straight ahead, rather than look at what it was. Maybe if she ignored it, it would go away. It didn't. She felt a finger wrap around her muscle, followed by the whole hand. Naminé closed her eyes. She felt butterflies in her stomach, and with a sudden surge of adrenalin, she tore herself away from her attacker. Naminé ran out into the light, turning to face the guy who had just brought her so much fear.

* * *

Zexion had looked around the corner, and found nothing but a pile of crates. He sat down upon a small one, most likely used for milk, and began to think. He thought about the old days, in the Organization, when things had been good between the members, and they weren't all taking sides, killing eachother. He thought about something he had said not that long ago, which pretty much summed up what the Organization had then become.

_"You know, it's deplorable... The Organization used to be the rope that binds us. And now it's full of kinks."_

It had changed the members significantly. Zexion had already felt pretty slack about helping Xehanort carry on the research when Ansem had forbidden it, and helping the Organization in the first place. He would have liked a heart, sure, but was that really worth hurting other people? Whatever Naminé thought about him was right. He was a jerk.

"This sucks." he groaned, pulling himself back up. Now that he thought about it, did he even deserve the forgiveness of Naminé?

"Probably not." Zexion began to look around the streets again, little knowing how much Naminé needed someone to help her at that moment.

* * *

The blonde stepped slowly backwards, away from the young man. His amber eyes looked at her through a black fringe, hanging down over his face. His black jacket had an imprint of a Heartless symbol on it, and the black, silver and red chain draped around his neck was also sporting the insignia. The thing about the symbol, though, was that there was an E in the centre.

Naminé stifled a scream, and tried to pass herself off as fearless.

"What do you want?" she asked, voice shaking. This guy scared her more than Zexion. The guy smirked, and kept approaching her.

"Help me!"

"Shut up." The guy lunged at her, but Naminé's fear helped her reflexes, and she backed up against the door of the house. To the surprise of both parties, it suddenly opened, and the teenager was sent tumbling into the hallway, the door being shut on her attacker.

"DAMN IT!" he cried, pounding at the locked door. He knew he couldn't get in now, because the house had a spell over it which would deny him entry, unless he was asked in.

Naminé panted on the floor, trying to catch her breath. The woman from before caught her hand, and pulled her to her feet.

"Who was that?!" she cried, still struggling.

"One of the Elite Heartless Troops. Only a few have been made, deep beneath the town. Everyone's hiding inside. What were you doing in the street, anyway?" asked a girl, entering the hall. She was roughly thirteen, and had a tired expression on her features.

"I was, erm, uh, kicked out of home." said Naminé, struggling to come up with a decent excuse. She knew that if they found that she was a Nobody, they'd attack her too.

"When Traverse Town is under attack by Heartless and Nobodies?! Who would do such a thing?!"

"Ugh, meanies?" said Naminé, although she had no idea at all what she was saying.

"Well, you're lucky, because you've come to the right place. This is the Nagano Home for Children. We house over twenty children within these walls, orphans, runaways, neglectees, they all come here." said the woman.

Naminé realised that this could be a good opportunity to solve a mystery on her own, and have a real adventure, rather than be kept prisoner and wait to be rescued by a spiky haired teen. If someone was making Elite Heartless Troops, Naminé had to find out why, and try to stop them. If they were attacking people, she couldn't stand by and watch. She could prove that she was more than a Nobody witch with extreme art skills. If Naminé learnt to use the Keyblade, she could try to take them on.

* * *

REEALLY long chapter. Took me two weeks to get that done. Writer's block, you see. Now that it's gone, I can begin chappie nine. See you later!

SkyLandOcean


	9. Why Not The Bahamas?

Now for chapter nine! I don't have much more to add to that, except that the alpacas are coming. RUN AWAY BEFORE THEY KIDNAP YOU TOO! XD

**X**

Zexion walked past the house where Naminé was, having come searching for her. The Elite Heartless had gone, but his brief attack on the door was visible by the scuffs and marks on the green paint.

"What the hell happened here?" he asked himself, touching the flaked wood. That was when he saw Naminé in the window.

"What's she doing in there?" Zexion quickly changed his appearance, to that of a silver haired boy wearing a striped shirt. He knocked on the door, and everyone gasped with fright.

"He's back!" said a young boy, running into the hall.

"I'm not sure," said Naminé "but I don't think Heartless or Nobodies knock." She slowly approached the door, right hand poised to summon her Keyblade if she would require it. Turning the key, and slowly pushing down on the polished brass handle, she pulled the door slightly open.

"Naminé," whispered Zexion. "It's me. What are you doing in there?"

"I was attacked." she said, still not lowering her hand "Someone's manufacturing Heartless. I'm gonna stay and find out who."

"Then I am too. I can't have you getting yourself hurt. Let me in."

Naminé swung the door totally open, and ushered Zexion in. She quickly shut it, to ensure that the Heartless wouldn't burst through.

"It's okay, he's my brother." she said. "His name's Kurou. I'm Kyraki."

"Well, you're both welcome here."

"Thank you." said Naminé. "I need to speak to my brother alone for a moment, please."

The people stood in the hall nodded, and went through several doors leading off of the hallway.

"Why do you wish to discover who is creating Heartless? Wouldn't you rather locate Roxas?" asked Zexion, looking down at his disguise.

Naminé took a moment before answering. The words he had yelled at her a year ago flashed through her mind again.

_"You aren't even counted as a member! As soon as we are done with you, consider yourself DECEASED! What the hell do you think you are, Miss High-And-Mighty? A PRINCESS? Well, you aren't! You are a GOOD-FOR NOTHING WITCH!"_

She didn't want to anger him again, so answered quickly. "This might be a good opportunity to use the Keyblade. There are plenty of people looking for Roxas, I just want to know how it feels to solve a mystery with as little help as possible."

"What if something happens to you?"

"I'm not a baby. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, but you don't know the first thing about fighting."

"I can learn." shrugged Naminé, She didn't see how it was such a big deal. All she wanted to do was fight somebody.

"You'll get yourself killed."

"No I won't."

"Will."

"Won't."

"Will!"

"Won't!"

"Not my problem. You'll probably end up dead. I'm off to find Roxas, you can stay here if you want, but I'm going." Zexion walked out of the house and shut the door, teleporting away.

Naminé sighed. This whole adventure thing wasn't something she was normally interested in, but now that she had a chance, she didn't want to pass it up. But hey, she'd been brave enough to go it alone, and that had to be a good sign. Right?

Back in the centre of the First District, Zexion clenched his hands into fists.

"Christ! Why does she have to annoy me like that?"

"Who, Naminé?" asked Ares, walking up behind Zexion. She placed a hand on his shoulder as she spoke, and Zexion jumped slightly.

"Geez, Ares, you gave me a fright."

"Ares scares EVERYONE." answered Axel, walking through the ginormous doors towards the two. Ares shook her head slightly, with a small smile fleeting over her face.

"Whatever. Anyway, where's Nami?"

"She said she wanted to stay here."

"What? Why?"

"Something about Heartless beneath the city. I told her she'd get hurt, but she wouldn't listen to me." answered Zexion.

"No offense, but no wonder." remarked Ares, shrugging.

"Just because you say 'No offense', doesn't stop it from being offensive."

"Yeah, it does."

"Doesn't."

"Does."

"Doesn't."

"Does!"

"Doesn't!"

"Zexy, we don't need another fight amongst the Organization. Now, go sit at the back of the class with the safety scissors and glitter." said Axel, in the manner of a mother.

"Whatever. So, do we let her stay, or make her come with us?" asked Zexion, thinking about the two options.

After thinking for a moment, Ares replied. "Itz, she's already terrified of you, and to a certain extent, Axel and me. If we forced her to come with us, which is impossible without abducting her, Naminé's fear would only increase. I vouch that we leave her."

"Something might happen to her."

Axel shrugged. "Can't blame her for wanting to stay. After all, we had her cooped up in a castle. She's bound to want some freedom."

"Even if it gets her killed?"

"Girls can be stubborn like that. We have to leave her." said Ares. Zexion knew there was no point in arguing. Ares would win, like she always did. Usually with threats of violence, not that she'd carry them out.

He sighed and pushed his fringe back, letting it fall back down of its own accord.

"Okay, let's go. If she wants to stay, she can. But, as soon as we find Roxas and Xolas, we're coming straight back here to get her."

The other two nodded.

"Let's try somewhere else. Atlantica?" added Zexion.

Ares opened a portal, and the three stepped in. As the purple-black darkness surged around them, Zexion couldn't help but worry.

**X**

"One, two, THREE!" cried Demetrix, running at a bush. It had flowers all over it, and she was trying to run through quickly, in order to get as little pollen on her as possible. Twigs scraped against her, and some orange dust flew up into the air as a strange cloud. She sneezed when she broke through.

"ACHOO!"

"Bless you." said Xeonide. They had just been trapped between some bamboo and a bunch of those bushes, and Demetrix was the first out. Of course, she was the only one dumb enough not to open a portal and escape that way, but everyone was too polite to mention it.

"Thanks."

She brushed the pollen off of her cloak, and looked around. They were in a heavily enclosed area, with hardly any light escaping to the ground. What little that did make it, was so miniscule that the only giveaway was the fact that they could see to a certain extent.

"Fire." said Alex, lighting a ball of glowing fuel above her hand. She swept it around the area, shuddering slightly as the cinders reflected in the eyes of surrounding animals.

"What are they?" asked Xeonide, as he gazed at a pair of large yellow orbs, peeking from a bush.

"Judging by the darkness of the area, probably big cats. Panthers, leopards." noted Lixnus.

Demetrix slightly whimpered, and moved closer to her brother. She wrapped her hands around his wrist.

"If they get too close, just beat them off." said Demyx, also looking quite frightened. Demetrix highly doubted her ability to fight off a huge panther with yellow teeth, but nodded. Maybe if she willed for the creatures to stay away, they would.

Trudging along, feet occaisonally slipping on stones, or getting splashed with mud, the group kept cautious eyes on the trees. The odd roar or squawk kept them on their toes, ready to jump in any direction away from an attacker. The fact that the majority of them should have been in high school didn't help either, as their anxiousness increased.

"Do you think we could fight them off, if they lunged at us?" asked Alex, flicking her head around as she heard some twigs break.

"What kind of a question is that? Just set fire to them." said Demyx.

"Animal rights." said Lixnus. "We don't want to be accused of poaching by the RSPCA."

Alex laughed. "I'll certainly poach them, if they come too near me. I might fry them, too."

"Just make sure PETA isn't near, either." added Xeonide, chuckling slightly.

The humourous atmosphere diminished quickly, and the five became nervous once again. Alex tried to remain in the centre of the group, along with Demetrix. As far as those two were concerned, it was the job of the boys to prevent harm from coming to them.

"I'm totally freaked out by this. Why the jungle? Why not the Bahamas?" asked Demetrix, whispering to her friend, trying to avoid annoying any nearby Nobody-eating panthers.

Xeonide didn't like messing with the two, but subconsciously started humming the _Pink Panther _theme tune.

"Xee! Stop it!" whispered Alex harshly.

"Sorry. Didn't realise I was doing it."

After a few moments of silence, Lixnus spoke. "How far are we going, and in what direction? We're looking for the gang, and if we remain quiet they might not hear us."

"Well, _I'M_ not yelling. It'll only help the boogedy-creatures find and eat me." said Demetrix.

"Me neither. I won't yell, on account of the boogedy-creatures."

Lixnus thought for a moment.

_What the hell is a boogedy-creature? Oh well, I'll try and trick them._

"That's because you know you can't yell louder than us." he said, trying his hand at manipulation. Zexion could pull it off really well, so Lixnus needed practice if he was ever going to be on the same level.

"Can." answered Alex.

"Prove it. If you can, than prove it."

The girls remained silent.

"Ah, more empty boasts. Well, let's keep going. C'mon, braggers."

Alex paused for a moment, before screaming at the top of her lungs.

"ROXAS! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Hmm, not quite deafening, what do you guys reckon?"

The other two quickly caught on. "Not loud enough for a microphone to pick up."

_"ROXAS!"_

"Nope."

"_**ROXAS!**_"

The rest of the afternoon was full of girls' voices, yelling out the names of the missing teens. Unfortunately, they were wasting their breath, as both you and I know that they were nowhere near the Deep Jungle.

**X**

Naminé ended up sharing a room with the young girl from the hallway, and a boy. They introduced themselves as Bijoux and Reg, who had once lived on a world called Hitan, which was now long gone.

"So," asked Reg "Which part of the universe do you hail from?"

Naminé thought quickly, should she say Destiny Islands or Hollow Bastion?

"I come from Hollow Bastion. Well, Radiant Garden. Whatever you wanna call it."

Reg looked at Bijoux. "Isn't that where-"

"Yes. But, it was restored. Why are you here?"

"I heard about this place, and so came to the town in search of it, when I was kicked out." answered Naminé. She was beginning to neaten her lies out, and was getting her story straight.

"They musta been mighty cruel. Why would they want to throw you out?" asked Bijoux, twirling some coral coloured hair around her index finger. She still couldn't understand what this girl could have done that was bad enough to be cast away by her parents.

Naminé shrugged. "Big family." She opened her black bag, and removed all the items, save her clothes and shoes. Her hand brushed against some heavy material, and she lifted it slightly. Then she remembered that she had a cloak in there, the one Alex had provided her with. Naminé hurriedly pushed it back in, and fastened her bag, tossing it beneath her bed.

"We're only here because our sun died. Couldn't see anything at all, so we used a torch to find the airport, and got outta there. It was totally destroyed in the panic. We looked back, and the entire thing was engulfed in flames." said Reg, recalling the incident.

"I'm sorry." said Naminé.

"It's okay."

"You mentioned something before. Hollow Bastion was what?"

"Where a princess disappeared from. About ten years now. She used to live in the castle, but one day, POOF! Gone." answered Bijoux, snapping her fingers as she said 'Poof!'.

Naminé thought for a moment. "This... princess. Red hair?"

"Yeah, we take it you've heard of her too?"

"Yep. So, these Heartless. Whereabouts are they being made?" asked Naminé, starting her investigation. She had her notebook in her lap, and a pen in her hand.

"What is this, an interrogation?" asked Bijoux, looking at the blonde oddly.

"Nope, just curious." she answered, hoping the two wouldn't get suspicious.

Reg raised his eyebrows, but responded. "In the labyrinth beneath the town. They've occaisonally come out, which was why no one is in the street."

"When did it start?" asked Naminé, scribbling some notes down.

_Labyrinth. Map?_

Bijoux answered that it had begun three months before, when people had begun to disappear from the streets.

_3 months._

"Some reckon their bodies are being used in the manufacturing. Like on _Doctor Who_, the, uh, wotsits." said Reg, struggling to remember.

"Cybermen."

_Hearts. Bodies. Cybermen._

"What are you writing? This isn't a psychological profile, is it?!" cried Bijoux, lunging at the older girl.

"No!" Naminé jumped back, but Bijoux grabbed the book. She read the few words, and looked up.

"You're not here by accident, are you?" she asked. "You're finding out what we know! You're one of them!"

"What? No! What makes you think that?" asked Naminé, with a nervous chuckle. Bijoux was right. The notes were incriminating, no doubt about that.

"Reg, lock the door." The boy nodded, rising to his feet and bolting the wooden panel shut.

Naminé gulped.

Bijoux handed the notebook back, and made a gesture with her arms at it. "Prove you're on our side. Explain your notes."

The girl knew there was no point in lying. Bijoux looked about ready to punch her until she threw up. Her eyes narrowed, as she glared at Naminé.

"I'm here to investigate. I was sent from Twilight Town to find out what's happening. I'm going to train, and take them on myself."

Bijoux and Reg exchanged glances.

"My notes are for research. If I find out about the EHT, I can discover their weaknesses. Your help has already informed me that I'll need a map, a torch, and a weapon. If necessary, I should take medicine, in case there are prisoners who need medical aid."

"It does add up." said Reg, placing his chin in his left hand.

"Do you have backup?"

"Sort of."

"Either you do, or you don't."

"I do, but I would rather go it alone. The last time I was involved with them, things were really messy."

Bijoux hesitated. "How?"

"Just, messy."

"So, is Kyraki your real name?" asked Reg.

Naminé nodded, knowing that if she said her real name, she could be attacked. They may have heard of her.

"Have you ever heard of Organization XIII?" she asked, testing the ground.

"Who hasn't? I heard that Xehanort, Xemnas' Other, might have had something to do with the princess' disappearance." answered Reg, sitting on his bed.

"And that they're plotting to kill us all, to make themselves human again."

_"PlottING? News comes slowly here, I guess." _thought Naminé, placing her notebook away. She was careful not to let the two see her cloak, bunched up at the bottom of her bag.

"And that a kid is in their castle, trying to fight them. That's all we know." said Bijoux.

Naminé let out a sigh of relief, but it was drowned out by a siren. It was within the building, and people started scurrying about.

Bijoux leapt under her bedclothes, and Reg did the same. Naminé could see their shapes, laid on their stomachs, curled into tight balls.

"What is that?" she asked, clueless.

"There's probably a Heartless or Nobody in here. It happens often, but they're always destroyed quickly. Just, get under your covers." came Bijoux's voice, slightly muffled by her quilt.

Naminé hesitated. She was sure that she could take on whatever it was, but knew that she was still too weak. Naminé halfheartedly got between her sheets.

**X**

Naminé awoke the next day, and realised that she must have dozed off while she was hiding. Bijoux and Reg were asleep too, though laid comfortably, unlike she had. Cracking her sore neck, and stretching her shoulders, she gazed around the room, before getting her bag out.

Opening the flap, and double checking that the two were sound asleep, Naminé pulled out her spare clothes. Beneath them was a torch, which she removed and set on the drawers next to her bed. She had to pull her cloak out in order to get to it, and set it neatly on her bed. It was a rather odd item of clothing, as only the top half could be zipped, even though the bottom half had a zipper. Naminé guessed it must have been to leave the legs of whoever was wearing it free, so that their movement wasn't restricted.

Reg turned over, and Naminé held her breath, hoping that he wouldn't open his eyes.

_Please, stay down. Don't move again. Stay... DOWN._

To her dismay, Reg sat up. She snatched the cloak and stuffed it into her bag, throwing it under the bed again.

He rubbed his eyes as he looked at her, and she closed her eyes, hoping that he hadn't seen her cloak. If he had, the game was up, and Naminé would have to call on the Organization for help. She certainly didn't want to, especially as Zexion would be with them.

"Hey," asked Reg "What was that?"

**X**

Alex let out a long sigh, as she finished yelling the names of the missing teens for the fortieth time.

"We're never going to find them." said Demetrix, slumping to the floor. Her cloak fanned out around her, she began to think.

"Erm, what are you doing?" asked Xeonide, looking at her with one pale blonde eyebrow raised.

"I'm thinking."

"Uh oh. Everyone, scatter!" said Demyx.

"Why?"

"Because the last time Demetrix thought about something, she got a headache. You do NOT wanna be near her when she has a headache."

"It's true." said Alex. "When Trixy here has a headache, it's like PMS. SUPER PMS."

The guys all took a step back away from her, Lixnus especially. He didn't need to be near an angry girl. He had enough to worry about, with Xolas disappearing and the strain that was on their relationship, stemming from her having a heart and emotions. Emotions that could change quickly. Lixnus however, had none to speak of.

From hearing the conversation about her, Demetrix stood up and shook her head. Unfortunately, shaking it made her dizzy, and she tripped over a root.

"Oof!" She hit the ground hard. Demetrix was wondering why no one was helping her, but then she saw it, and whimpered. Stretching across the jungle floor, just a metre away, was a large, black snake.

"Oh no. It's a dendroaspis polylepis." said Lixnus, horror apparent in his voice. He looked a bit mortified, and everyone knew from his tone and facial expression that there was no

"Was that even English?" asked Demetrix, turning her head to look at him.

"Don't take your eyes off it, but don't make eye contact. These things can kill between twenty and forty full grown men with one bite."

"What is it?" she asked, turning her head slowly back. She pulled her head up, and slowly brought herself into a kneeling position.

"I told you. It's a dendroaspis polylepis. Also known as a Black Mamba."

Demetrix whimpered in fear, being careful not to breathe too loud. The snake was about three and a half metres long, but that was what she could see of it. Part of its body disappeared around a bush, rendering Demetrix unable to see the rest. She didn't want to, anyway.

"What do I do?" she asked. Her green eyes met those of the snake, and she saw what it was plotting in its black, beady orbs. It began to hiss.

No one knew what to do. Three pairs of eyes turned to Lixnus, but one pair was fixed upon the Mamba. Demetrix was too scared to blink.

"What DO we do?" asked Xeonide. Lixnus shook his head.

"I... don't know. I never finished the book."

Unfortunately, Demetrix's undivided attention was taken as a threat, and the snake pulled its head up off the soil. It opened its mouth, revealing long, yellow fangs and inky black flesh inside.

"Guys, I don't mean to rush you, but this thing's gonna kill me dead!"

Demetrix closed her eyes, as the snake lunged at her.


	10. Burn Its Brains Out!

It's always a bit difficult to begin a new chapter. I never know who to continue with. Hmm, eeny meeny, minie moe.

* * *

Naminé looked at Reg, alarmed. She was about to make up an excuse, but couldn't make her mouth form the words.

"I-I-I, erm..."

"No, seriously. What was it? Didn't you see it too?"

"It was just... What do you mean?" asked Naminé, realizing that he wasn't talking about her cloak. Reg raised his hand and pointed out of the window, where a cold wind was blowing.

"That, it was like a flash of light. You must have seen it. It was kinda purple. Like a lavender colour."

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Bijoux, turning over in her bed. She sat up, and grabbed a hairbrush, pulling it through a knot amongst her wispy peices of hair. There was a huge one, extending down from her scalp. "Lavender light? I've heard of Lavender Blue, but you make no sense. Ignore him, Kyraki, because he's making up crap again. Where do you think his random little stories come from? His imagination."

"Hey! They're not random little stories! They're well thought out!"

"Whatever."

"How many people are here?" asked Naminé, fearing that the current conversation would lead to her possessions, including the cloak Reg may or may not have seen.

"One hundred kids and twelve adults."

"That's a lot of people to protect." said Naminé, letting her thoughts escape through her lips.

"For who to protect?" asked Bijoux, looking at her with her eyes half closed. She was still waking up.

"No one. Do you guys ever go outside, in the daylight?" she asked, hoping that they'd say yes.

"Are you crazy? No! We'd be snatched away the EHT." answered Reg, thinking that Naminé must have been nuts.

"Then, what do you do all day? I've been in circumstances like this before, but I don't know what you two do to pass the time."

Bijoux answered that she spent most of her time in the dojo downstairs, and that Reg was always in the library, writing on his laptop.

"It's a gym, but it's used as a dojo sometimes. What did you do, when you were in this situation?"

"I did my job, which is incidentally my hobby." Naminé picked up her bag, pulled her sketchbook out, and making sure that they couldn't see her cloak, put it back. "Drawing."

"Can I see?" asked Bijoux. Naminé nodded, and handed her the sketchpad. The younger girl flicked through it, admiring her work.

"Not bad. And, you got paid to do this?"

"Y-Yeah. I did."

"Well, this conversation's going nowhere. I'm off to the library to type." Reg picked up a laptop from his set of drawers, and walked out of the door with it. The two girls could hear his footsteps as he headed up the stairs.

Naminé and Bijoux shrugged. "I think I might go to the dojo. I need to catch up on my exercise. Seeya." Bijoux grabbed a gym bag, and walked out of the room.

Naminé breathed a sigh of relief. At least she could get some more planning done now.

* * *

Bijoux ignored her pounding heart and aching limbs, as she did laps around the gym floor. She did this routinely, to prepare her should she need to run from the Heartless or Nobodies. Better to be prepared than be killed. In her head, Bijoux chanted a rhyme that she had adapted from an early one in the Second World War.

_In an attack when the Heartless are after your head, you should know what to do, 'cuz there'll only be two kinds of people: the quick and the dead._

Bijoux knew this stuff because a good friend of hers had been to a British Boot Camp, and trained as a cadet. She was the one who told her the original rhyme.

In her hand she held a stopwatch, to time for how long she could run without stopping. Eventually, Bijoux halted, and sat on the floor, smiling at her new time.

"Six minutes. A new record." she panted, grabbing a water bottle. She downed it in a few gulps, and managed to walk and rest on a bench.

Bijoux had followed this routine for about four years now, starting as a slightly plump nine year old with an addiction to chocolate, and was now a quite fit thirteen year old, who had been without chocolate for the past few months.

As she rested, Bijoux looked around the gymjo. It was really large, due to the number of people normally occupying it. However, most people were lazy and laid in, leaving her on her own for a good hour each morning. There was a roll of carpet up against a wall, which could be lowered and spread across the floor when required, and a stack of mats for gymnastics. It was well lit, with halogen lamps screwed to the ceiling, and a set along the floor.

The ones on the floor were extremely helpful to Bijoux, when she had race training on her exercise schedule. There was a box on the wall which controlled them, and a speed and time could be set. This would cause them to light up and fade in succession, and the user could run along and race it the bulbs until the timer shut it off.

There were several painted lines on the floor, marking out basketball, netball and badminton courts. There were four hoops, two for netball and two for basketball. Bijoux rarely used them, considering it wasn't part of her routine. Finally, there were two entrances to the gym, both of which were doorless halls, leading to the staircase and kitchens. The kitchens were close because the gymjo was used as a dining hall, along with the recreational purposes.

Between the halls was a cupboard, which contained sports equipment, from balls to fencing swords. Next to the storage were two shower blocks, one for girls and one for guys.

Bijoux pulled herself up, and walked into the female shower room. It was like a ghost town, with only a few forgotten jackets and empty shampoo bottles that someone had been too lazy to chuck out hanging around. Bijoux placed her bag on a bench, unzipping it and removing a towel and some more gym clothes. She wore these all day, so that she could rush to the gym and run around anytime she felt like it. Locking the door of the stall, she took a long shower.

* * *

Reg sat silently at a table in the library, fingers making keystrokes on the board of his laptop. He furrowed his bow as he tried to remember how to spell defenestration, but then was quickly typing once more. He took a sip from a cup of coffee he had just gotten from a machine in the hall, and thought up more lines for his protagonist to speak.

He looked up as the library door opened, and the other regular occupant of the room, Pamaro, entered. He too was a wannabe writer, but he was intent on getting published, unlike Reg, who wrote purely for his own amusement.

"Hey. How much have you written since yesterday?" asked Pamaro, drinking a carton of milk. He wiped around his mouth with a sleeve, and sat next to Reg.

"A paragraph. I'm working slowly, I'm a bit tired today."

"I haven't typed anything yet. I've hit a bit of a block, but all I need is one sentence to get me writing again."

Pamaro started up his laptop, and began to type as fast as he could. He made few mistakes, and soon had a whole conversation typed on the screen. Reg envied his friend's typing skills, but it was obvious to anyone who knew his past that he would be a fantastic writer. His father had been a publisher, his mother had been a novelist, and his two uncles had been journalists. Writing was in the guy's blood.

Reg however, had less of a history behind him. His parents ran a dog washing service. No chance.

* * *

Demetrix pushed herself back, pulling her face away from the Black Mamba. She then dragged her legs back, just out of reach of the snake.

"Holy bulltitty!" she cried. Xeonide grabbed her hand and dragged her to her feet. The Mamba wasn't giving up easily, however, and raised its head to strike at them again, winding the coils of its body towards them. It moved slowly, and threatened by baring its fangs once more.

"Set it on fire or something!" said Xeonide, looking at the redheaded girl on his left. She nodded, and as the group slowly backed away, she tried to conjure up a flame.

"What's taking you? Burn its brains out!" said Lixnus.

"I'm trying. It's hard, when there's a great grand huge amphibian in front of you!" cried Alex, having a Demetrix moment.

"Snakes are reptiles."

"Whatever. The point is, I'm too scared. I might light the entire rainforest on fire, and heaps of animals would die."

"Even when it is being burnt, it could still strike out at us. We need to make it choke." said Xeonide, trying to both reassure Alex and concoct a plan.

"Okay, YOU strangle it. I'm no Steve Irwin, so I'm not wrestling a reptile!" said Demetrix.

Demyx closed his eyes for a moment. "You..." he said, sorting out several messages in his brain. "Don't need to strangle it for it to choke. We need to drown it. That's it!"

He smirked at the creature, as he put out his hand.

"Water."

Immediately, the reptile began to hack. It writhed in pain, as its lungs were filled with water. It looked around desperately, but couldn't relieve itself of its ailment.

"That'll teach you to attack my little sister!" said Demyx.

"Let's get out of here, before someone comes." said Alex, looking around.

"Who'd find us in ths Godforsaken peice of scrub?"

Alex shrugged. She said that there could be some more dendroaspis polylepis around.

"What's that?" asked Demetrix. Everyone else just looked at her blankly.

"The thing that Demyx just drowned from the inside out." said Xeonide, not believing that the blackbelt had already forgotten the name of the thing that had almost killed her.

"Oh, that. So, do you guys reckon they're here? We've searched for ages and ages, but all we've managed to do is see, be attacked by, and drown a Green Macerena." said Demetrix, as they started to walk away from the choking reptile.

No one even bothered to explain her mistake.

Lixnus shook his head. "No. They aren't here. I can sense it. If Xolas was here, I'd know by now, and we'd probably be heading back home." he said, remaining neutral throughout his sentence. Xolas was pretty much the only thing he now cared about, and without her there, where was the point in pretending to have emotions? She wouldn't be there to notice his efforts.

"Well, that was a good waste of a day." said Alex.

"Not a total waste, though. Now we know that they aren't here. We can cross it off." answered Xeonide.

"Okay, let's choose another world. How about the Hawaiian Islands? It's better than this."

"Does it have snakes which randomly attack people and poison them?" asked Demetrix, not at all keen to be face-to-face with one anytime soon.

"Snakes don't poison people. They use VENOM, which is different from poison." said Lixnus, informing the group of a random fact.

"How so?"

"Poisons can be absorbed by the body. Venoms can't. That's why snakebites are so deadly. If that Mamba had just been poisonous, its bite probably wouldn't result in death."

"... What does 'result' mean?"

Lixnus groaned. "Okay, let's try The Land of Dragons."

* * *

"Not bad, is it?" asked Raydran, as she gazed out at the view from her small family's new apartment. It overlooked the city of Luca in Spira, which Raydran had been fighting to protect for several years now.

Her young daughter, a five year old by the name of Loki, held her mother's hand as she too looked out over the horizon.

Since the Great Final Battle, Raydran had cried two times. The first was at Ashe's speech about the war, loss and their final struggle for victory. The second was when she had walked into Luca, her daughter's hand in her own, and seen exactly the damage that the Phantoms had inflicted. As construction teams and council workers cleared up the mess of glass and debris laid on the streets, among other items that the Phantoms had deemed unfit for their use, Raydran shed a few tears. This city had once been great, and then the Phantoms had swept in and taken everything away. But, since the army had found the Phantoms' secret stash of stolen items in their base, they had taken most of it back to the city, placing it back where it was originally situated.

Loki held a toy chocobo beneath her arm, and scanned the city with her eyes. She thought about the distinctive green swirls that every Al Bhed had in their eyes, and was glad that she wouldn't have to walk around in the goggles her mother had described.

"You should have seen this place before the war, Loki. It was just buzzing with life. Most people have chosen small areas like Besaid now, but I love this city. I'm just glad that all the racism against Al Bheds has stopped now, because there were a heap of us serving in the military. It would have been like walking into a slaughterhouse if we were still discriminated against."

"Can we go inside?" asked Loki, as a cool wind blew up against her skin. Raydran nodded, and lead the small girl inside.

It was only small, but it catered perfectly to their needs. There was one short hallway, along which Raydran's small bedroom was, Loki's slightly larger room, the bathroom, and a small playroom. It lead from the white front door to the back of the apartment, where a very small kitchen, a small glass dining table, and a living room were.

In the kitchen were the basics. There was a fridge, electric oven, and drawers in which cutlery could be stored. The kitchen would have had some cups, and most likely a blender, but it appeared that the Phantoms had removed them. It was lucky however, that Lenne, who held the highest position over Spira, had met with Ashe, Larsa and the other leaders of the countries. They had agreed that the broken glass and pottery that was swept up from the streets would be melted down, and transformed into crockery and glassware. They made it against the law to purchase glass items until the factories were going again, producing household utensils, and prioritising it over decoration. This way they could ensure that everyone would have some of the basics. Until the government, which would include Raydran as one of the volunteer workers as soon as she could arrange a babysitter, came around with the glass items, everyone was being given their styrofoam and weak plastic alternatives.

The living room had one three-seater couch, and no TV. Again, the Phantoms had ransacked the place. But the next day, when the factories would reopen with the recovered machinery, they would recycle the leftovers and remake the products. There were still some things being brought up from the Old City, and those could be used too. Raydran knew that there would be plenty of work going, so she could easily get a job. Also, seeing as she was in the army, she would still get the benefits from rebuilding the city. She had always been one for hard work, and would never be content with sitting at a desk.

A sliding door led out onto the small balcony, where they had been a few moments before. On a buffet next to it were the few possessions that Raydran had brought; the photo frame, Vinecuta's badge from when he was in the Union For Preservation Of Chocobos, and her old necklace, that had symbolized her connection to her sister. She had known she was dead deep down, but hearing it from her niece made it seem suddenly real. She hadn't let herself cry, but it hit her like a train.

Loki was pleased as punch with the new living arrangements. While she had loved living with Denzel and Marlene, nothing could quite compare with being at home with her mother. Though there was little to do, it was still nice to be in their own home on the surface, thirteen storeys in the air.

* * *

That's the end of the chapter! I hope you liked it. Please leave a review.

Roger, wilco and out,

SkyLandOcean


	11. George Pendragon

Hello! This is chapter eleven of A Sick and Twisted Game. I hope you all like it so far!

**X**

Unable to find a babysitter for Loki, Raydran had to drag her along on her volunteer work. With her daughter stood shyly at her side, Raydran collected a box of freshly made lightbulbs, and was given a building to tackle. She had the five storey Atrium Hotel, where she would spend the day screwing the lightbulbs into the electric sockets. Going with her were Penelo and a young girl named Calli.

"Well, time for work."

**X**

The Green team marched slowly out of their dorm, Selphie still upset from the night before. They were about to face another challenge, and were trying as hard as they could to remain calm. Xolas was breathing deeply, thinking as hard as she could. If she could only get near Larry and snap his neck...

Roxas' mind was a blank slate. He was too concentrated on preparing for their next activity to ponder over how to get home. Frustrated, he brushed some stray hair behind his ear. It was really getting in the way of his vision, and Roxas was sure it would be too big a distraction.

Wakka and Tidus walked alongside a slightly tired Selphie. She could barely stand, having cried herself out the previous night.

Serena, Zoe and Landusoi Aomori were all slumped over, dragging their feet over the carpet. The eldest, Zoe, was trying her best not to panic, but found herself gasping for air. The dimly lit hall seemed to close in around her, and she fell to the floor with a thump. She took in ragged breaths through her mouth, but was unable to fill her lungs to capacity. Zoe began to panic, fearing that her throat would close.

Xolas immediately dropped to her side, kneeling on the floor. She had no idea what she was supposed to do, and so looked to Roxas. After a moment, he was sat on the floor too. The other five clamoured around, trying to see if they could help in any way.

Roxas grabbed ahold of Zoe around the waist, and sat her up. She was still struggling to breathe however, and so he had to instruct her when to inhale and exhale.

"Look at me, Zoe. Okay, now take slow, even breaths. Don't panic."

After a few moments, Zoe nodded, indicating that she was okay. When she had been helped to her feet, she said her thanks.

"No problem, but when you get back home, you seriously need to invest in a good inhaler." said Roxas, putting emphasis on 'seriously'.

_"There's no point in looking out for her. You'll all be crushed beneath the might of the Reds soon enough!" _ came the voice of Larry, frightening the group into stepping backwards.

"FAVOURITISM!" cried Xolas, leading the group forward again, into the challenge room. They saw that there was now a pool, at least twenty metres deep. It had a corridor-like tunnel stemming out from it, from beneath the water. It looked cold; freezing in fact.

It appeared that the Red team had already chosen their contestant, Peggy. He was wearing a pair of red board shorts, and was looking at the expanse of icy liquid only a few metres away. Peggy shivered just looking at it.

"Okay, it looks like one of us has to dive into THAT." said Xolas, moving back. "Any takers?"

"I'll do it." shrugged Tidus. "It can't be that cold."

"Oh, really?" came Emmeleine's voice, echoing around the room. She walked forward, and knelt by the edge of the water. Balling her hand into a fist, she punched the surface. It cracked, showing that a thin layer of ice had appeared on the water. Emmeleine smirked at them, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Frosty air rose as she breathed, but subsided as she stepped back. Peggy went a bit pale, unable to imagine himself swimming through it.

"Stop it," said Selphie. "You're unnerving your own team too."

The older girl shrugged.

"I still think I can handle it. I'll go back and change into a pair of board shorts." Tidus walked back to the Green headquarters.

"Wish I had my cloak." said Xolas, rubbing her forearms to warm them.

"If only we did. But we don't. Which is lame."

"What are you two on about, eh?" asked Wakka, shaking his head in confusion.

Xolas muttered that it was nothing, and concentrated once more on rubbing heat into her skin.

"I have a feeling that this pool was made deliberately cold." said Serena.

_"At least Green has a smart one! Yep, cold on purpose. It's only cold at the top, unfortunately, but at least it'll give the swimmers a nasty scare!"_

"I repeat, without any form of hesitation; You're a freak, Larry." said Xolas, raising her eyebrows and rolling her eyes.

_"Says the girl who wears a cloak."_

The audience laughed, but she just rolled her eyes again. Tidus walked back in, and the challenge began.

**X**

Naminé sighed and shut her book. She had found nothing more of interest, and was tired of writing peices of information down, anyway. Deciding to draw instead, she walked out into the hall, sketchpad and pencils in hand. Naminé walked for a long while, just things of things she could draw. Anything to do with the Organization was out of bounds, because she could raise suspicion if someone saw. Perhaps an animal? Maybe a moose, an echidna or a stoat.

Naminé was looking around for a decent place to sit and draw, when someone came up and walked alongside her.

"Hello," said the mint-haired girl. "Are you looking for somewhere to draw?"

"How did you know?" asked Naminé, turning to face her.

"The book is a bit of a giveaway."

"Oh, yeah. I'm N- Kyraki. And you are?"

"Letitia. Tish." said Tish, with a smile. "So, why are you here?"

Naminé thought back, and dragged her cover story back out. "Kicked out of home."

"I was involved in a storm on my home. I woke up here, in an alley. So, a place to draw. The art room's good. Come on."

Tish led Naminé into a room with two wooden benches, set up inside. There were a few people in there, scribbling onto pieces of paper. A couple were squishing clay in their hands, and another three were painting.

Naminé looked around, seeing that the room was mostly bare, save one shelf of art supplies and a rack of coats. Shrugging, she sat at a table with Tish, who started talking to the four other people sat there.

"... and a sculpture. So, have you guys met Kyraki here?"

Naminé looked up, and smiled at the others in the group. She flicked her book open, and picked out a 2B pencil from her box.

"Where do you come from?" asked a orange haired boy. He met her gaze, with red eyes.

"Hollow Bastion. You?"

"Hey, Hollow Bastion's where the Princess disappeared from. Where abouts on that world are you from?" asked a girl, eyeing her with suspicion.

"Erm, uh... I was born at home. In the town. You know, in a flat above the town centre?"

Her explanation seemed to satisfy them. Naminé was relieved that they didn't press for more details, or else she may have been found out.

"I came to this town, after we escaped from Spiraiviladiel. My sister and parents came too, but I'm the only one left now." said the boy with orange hair. Naminé didn't ask for anything more. "I'm Caetu, by the way."

Naminé spent the rest of the day chatting to the group. They called themselves the 'Arties', and explained that they divided themselves into cliques. There were 'the Sporties', the 'Writies', the 'Preppies' and the 'Nerdies'. They generally stayed apart, but sometimes clashed. The Arties and Nerdies were usually the worst hit.

"Like a regular high school, then."

"Pretty much. If you've BEEN to high school. Only a few of us have, and Traverse Town doesn't exactly have an education system, seeing as it's so small. We have to read for four hours a week, and that's our education." said Tish, shrugging.

"That sucks, BIG TIME." said the other girl, who by now had revealed that her name was Jutt.

Soon, the day was halfway through, and it was time for lunch. Naminé was led by the Arties to the gym, where the Sporties were laying out the mats.

She was met with a few glares from them, a challenge against where her loyalties were lied. Bijoux was the only Sporty without such a glare, but avoided her gaze for fear of retribution from her own.

The Arties helped set out the tables, and when it was complete, Naminé could easily identify the seperate social groups.

The Sporties were all wearing gym gear or football shirts, and it could be heard that they were discussing a soccer game.

The Writies had laptops slung over their shoulders, and were speaking about semi-colons and where they should replace commas.

The Preppies were all laughing and speaking in a formal manner, the occasional person holding a porcelain teacup, and the Nerdies were debating about whether or not Bigfoot could logically exist.

As for the Arties, they had paint and clay on their clothes, and Naminé was sat with them. Jutt looked at one of the Preppies with a scowl on her features, her brow furrowed. He returned the look, retaliating with the V sign. She scoffed loudly, and sat herself next to Caetu.

"Jerk, he thinks he owns the place."

"Why, who is he?" asked Naminé, looking over her pale shoulder to see who they were talking about.

"George Pendragon. Yep, you heard right. He claims ancestry from King Arthur. He's the top dog of the Preppies. And a jerkwad." said Tish.

"Remind me never to go with him."

"Jutt might beat you to it." said Caetu, looking at the girl.

"What?! What are you talking about?" she asked, trying not to blush.

"Oh, come on! You've been making googly eyes since day one!" said Tish, lowering her voice so that George wouldn't hear.

"Whatever. It's a pretty weird name though, George, innit?" asked Jutt.

"Yeah, it's kinda plain. So anyway, Kyraki?"

Naminé didn't respond for a moment, but then remembered her false name.

"Yeah?"

"Have you got someone?" asked Tish, looking at the blonde.

"Kinda, I don't really know." she answered, blushing slightly.

"What's their name?"

Naminé thought for a moment. "His name's Toras."

"What's he like?"

She remained silent for a moment.

"Come on, if we're gonna hang out together we need the bare essentials." said Caetu.

"Okay, he's got blue eyes, dirty blond hair, and can run and fight really well."

"Sounds like he'd be a Sporty in that case."

Lunch went by without incident. Naminé was terrified that someone would notice something odd about her, and notify an adult. If they did, she would be hopelessly outnumbered. No one did, and she was able to relax by the time they had cleared away the dishes.

**X**

_Meanwhile..._

"Why the hell did you tell her? What are you, thick?!"

"No!" answered the second voice, indignantly.

"Why, then, tell me, did you do it? Because the only thing I can think of is that you're an IDIOT!"

"Because I felt obliged to, okay?! I don't know why!"

"So, you disappear, and when you come back, you tell me you told her! Jesus, that could have worked to our advantage!"

"I'm sorry!" The second voice hesitated. "Superior."

**X**

Eamon had known since the age of two that he was adopted. He had been dubbed the 'back door baby' by the media at six months, as he had been found on the doorstep at the rear of a local gym. Gymmy was one of his nicknames at school, used out of affection for the now sixteen year old.

He had grown up with little curiosity about his true background. The likelihood that his parents were young teenagers at the time of his birth or involved in illegal activity was high. He just didn't bother to think about it, if they didn't want him, it was thier bad luck. He turned out fine, and he was kind of thankful for the opportunity. He loved his family very much, even if he had no blood relation to them whatsoever.

The recent disappearances of three more of his classmates were beginning to worry him. He wasn't close to any of them, but he did fear for them. They were a part of his life, it was unimaginable to walk into class and not hear Selphie and Tidus debating, and Wakka spouting something about blitzball. It changed a lot of things. It made him wonder if his mother had been an abducted teenager or a runaway criminal. His entire world had changed, but he tried to be rational. There was little likelihood that he had come from a rich estate, but what was the chance that he was the son of a serial killer? Neither was very likely at all. Eamon held onto these thoughts as he wandered to his seat, flopping down next to his best friend, a boy nicknamed Beezer.

"Hey Gymmy. Why the long face? You look like your cat was hit by a milk truck. Oh God, Ginger didn't get onto the road again?"

Eamon shook his head. "Naw, we keep her in her own room now. No more accidents for her. I'm just wondering about my family again."

"You gotta let that go, man. What's the chances they're worth thinkin' about?"

"Small."

"That's right. Now, stop frettin'. There's no use crying over spilt cat under milk truck."

Eamon smiled at this comment. Though it put little value to his pet's life, he had to admit it was pretty amusing.

"EAMON! CHARLES! If you don't listen to me when I talk, you'll never get into university!" cried their teacher. The two realised that he had been trying to explain topography while they had chatted.

"Yes, Mister Brokkenmeyer. But I don't want to go to university, I wanna be a pimp." said Beezer, slightly angered by the use of his real name.

The entire class laughed, until their teacher's steely gaze fell on them. He eventually turned around, going back to the map he had drawn on the whiteboard.

Eamon made the 'blah-blah-blah' motion with his hand, screwing up his face and crossing his eyes. The class laughed again, but immediately halted at the same time when their fuming teacher turned around again. After another two minutes of staring the pupils down, he returned to the board.

Seizing what was probably his last opportunity for comedy that lesson, Beezer got out of his chair and crouched down, sticking his hands beneath his armpits. He then walked around, trying not to fall over, moving his arms like flapping wings. People stifled their giggles until he returned to his chair, before he deliberately knocked his pencilcase onto the floor.

Mister Brokkenmeyer whirled around again, and announced that the two boys had detention. They simply exchanged glances and spoke.

"Twenty this year! All right!" They high fived eachother.

Mister Brokkenmeyer just gave up. He'd ask for them to be moved out of his class later, they were unstoppable.

**X**

_"Hello, and welcome to GamesMaster! Today, our two teams-"_

"Hello, and welcome to I'm-Gonna-Bloody-Well-Kill-Larry-If-He-Keeps-Talking-Like-That!" interrupted Xolas, waving her arms around. Her compatriots laughed.

Larry ignored her.

_"Will be represented by one member, who will swim underwater through an obstacle course!" _

The crowd clapped and cheered, but the teams stood rigid, faces blank.

_"Now, who will be the competitors?"_

"Uh, duh." said Serena, pointing at Tidus.

"I hope you die." said Xolas, pointing at Larry. "I hope you get set on fire and shit yourself."

_"...Ew. Anyway, it looks like Tidus and Peggy are competing today! There is the occaisional SCUBA tank connected to the passageway, and some spaces without water for resting, but every time they are used, half a life shall be stricken from each team member. The pool has several obstacles in it, including a set of rings, bars, and then a bull shark!"_

"...What did he say?" asked Tidus, backing away from the edge. Peggy also looked at the water, expecting the giant animal to jump up and rip off his head.

"I hope you get set on fire, shit yourself and then get eaten slowly by maggots."

_"Okay, you're disgusting. Anyway, on the count of ten, our competitors will dive in, and be tracked by several CCTV cameras. Whoever gets out first wins!"_

A female voice came over the speakers, and another woman gave the two some swimming goggles.

_"Ten, nine, eight..."_

Tidus and Peggy walked to the edge, pulling the goggles over their faces.

_"Seven, six, five..."_

They readied themselves for the shock they would recieve when they jumped in, and Tidus almost ran away. But, the thing that kept him there was knowing that if he did run, the entire team would be deleted.

_"Four, three, two..."_

Keye stood, gazing into the liquid. It was perfectly still, not even rippling in the slightest. It was odd, she'd never seen anything so still, not even a rock. Of course, even a rock wouldn't be still, because Katana was rotating very quickly. She was too tired to think of anything else.

_"One. Go!"_

The two boys jumped in, both gasping when the icy water hit their bodies. It seemed like every joint, every nerve and every muscle had frozen. Tidus felt the water sting at his skin, as though trying to pull it from his bones.

Peggy felt much the same, and snorted some stray water out of his nose. He wasn't prepared to dive down into the dark abyss of water, with all the dangers that lay beneath the surface. He hoped and prayed that the shark was at the end, and not within the general area at the moment.

"Swim, you smeghead!" cried Emmeleine. "Block out the pain and dive!"

Peggy nodded, and took a deep breath. Tidus decided to swim down also, and drew in a great gulp of air. He plunged his head down into the depths, and felt the near-freezing water rush through his hair as he sank lower and lower into the pool.

Tidus, holding his nose, looked for the corridor running off the deep and dark area. Then he spied it, with green neon above it. It seemed so small, and Tidus was sure he'd never be able to kick his legs in that cramped space.

The Red team's competitor, however, had a bit of trouble. He looked for the red neon, but couldn't see it. He lost about ten seconds, and when Peggy did spy it, he inwardly groaned. It was at the other end of the pool.

The two teams watched the events on two screens, one showing Peggy and the other showing Tidus. Tidus had gotten halfway through the tunnel, and the footage showed that he was red in the face from the pressure and lack of air. Peggy was just entering, and was a fair bit behind the blitzballer.

Keye watched closely, holding Emmeleine's hand. She had her eyes fixed on the two screens, willing for Peggy to pull ahead.

Tidus reached the end of the tunnel, and was pushed upwards by a fan which was churning the water upwards. Some of his breath was knocked out of him, as he was pushed against the roof of the submerged room.

_Oh, crap..._

There was no way out from where he was, but Tidus saw green neon way below him. He realized that this part of the 'challenge' was to fight the jet of bubbly water.

The Green team gasped, and hoped that Tidus could get out, to a Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus and receive some fresh air.

On screen, the blonde shook his head and tried to dive.

At that moment, Peggy broke through. He too was tossed mercilessly upwards by the rotating gyro, but recovered much quicker than the blonde. Peggy dove right away, and was almost at the doorway by the time that Tidus had prepared. He grabbed the frame, and pulled himself into the next hall.

Tidus pushed himself off the ceiling, and managed to grip the doorframe. It was very slippery, however, and his grip faltered. He almost gasped, but then reminded himself that it wouldn't be a wise move in the circumstances. With a grunt, Tidus was through.

This hall was bigger than the last, and there was more room to move. Peggy could have danced with joy, because there was a SCUBA tank bolted to the wall. He removed the mask, and pressed it over his face, exhaling the carbon dioxide and inhaling a fresh round of oxygen.

Tidus saw the tank too, and swam over. He breathed out before slapping the mask on, and the bubbles rose to the ceiling, trapped.

Peggy took another breath of oxygen, before moving onwards. He was blocked by some hoops set up in formation on the wall.

_I guess this is what Larry the Dick meant by hoops._

He shrugged and began to swim through the first one, but found that it was going to be tougher than he originally anticipated. A chamber in the ceiling opened, and a very angry bull shark dropped into the water...

**X**

That's the end of the chapter! I will begin work on the next immediately!

Next time: Tidus and Peggy face off against the sharks, we meet a few new faces, and someone gets very pissed off.

SkyLandOcean


	12. Mister Chocobo Was Fined

Hello, and welcome to chapter twelve! I have been intending to put this up for ages, but I had other commitments. Work, school, family. But now, here it is! I think I'll take this opportunity to explain some things which may be a bit confusing. Here:

In this series, days, weeks and months pass. Thirteen months may pass since Sola was pulled through the door in the Secret Place (They haven't, but this is an example), due to days passing in the story. However, it doesn't bring a new year. I count it all as the same year, similar to how Eric Foreman in _That '70's Show _stayed seventeen, from 1976 to 1978, even though the year changed. However, the year doesn't change in this, if that makes any sense to you at all. ;)

All the events of FFVII, CC:FFVII, and FFVII: AC happened, just all in the same year. Though in FFVII canon, Cloud ages along with the timeline, I have set the events of these three stories while he was sixteen. However, some things didn't happen, such as Aerith being impaled by Sephiroth. In this fic, she was non-fatally stabbed by an Ictus Phantom. Get it? I hope so, I'm not very good at explaining.

**X**

A boy walked briskly along a hall, a clipboard tucked beneath his arm. He could hear only his own steps along the linoleum floor, and the faint whirring of a machine about two hundred metres ahead of him. Several doors lined the black walls, which in turn had a chart stuck to them with velcro. He removed one, and checked the levels of the bar graph printed on it.

"Eighty percent..." He looked at his own clipboard, and glanced at the statistics. "And this is room fifty, and it was seventy eight percent yesterday. That's good."

The guy ticked a box, and noted down the new number.

This had been his job, ever since he could remember. He didn't mind it too much, though walking the same route each day wasn't too appealing, not with the freedom he'd had a few days before. His Superior, also called the Head and Boss-Dude by the young guy, had sent him on a field mission. That was when he had made the mistake of confiding some information to a certain person, and almost jeopardized a great amount of work. After a long and colourfully worded lecture from the Boss-Dude, he had realized his mistake. Well, he had to say he did, because he didn't want another lashing from the rest of the gang.

Speaking of the rest of the gang, there were a few others in the hall turning off to the right. Some didn't acknowledge the seventeen year old, others raised their heads slightly, as a form of silent greeting. They were all wearing a similar outfit, though their coats had different markings, to indicate their occupations.

A short man on the left had four black and red bands along the back of his labcoat, to indicate that he was a senior medical technician. A girl following closely behind had two, to signify that she was a senior apprentice medical technician; abbreviated to SAMT, almost ready to become a junior.

This guy had three bands, yellow, red and green, to show that he was a statistical scientist. It was his job to check the charts on every door, and note the increases and decreases, before presenting it to the Boss-Dude at the end of the week as a PowerPoint.

A girl nearby looked up from her clipboard and shot him a small smile, before excusing herself from a conversation she was having with a fellow Junior Medical Assistant, to walk by his side.

"Hey there, Eotef. How's it going?" she asked, using his nickname. Each of them was assigned a number, which they were to use to refer to eachother. She couldn't be bothered saying 'Eight one twelve fifteen', so she took the first letter of each word, and used them as his name. However, for fifteen, she used 'Ef' instead of the letter on its own. He did the same for her.

"Hi Fono. Not much, just work. Speaking of it, shouldn't you be working?"

"No, I finished already. All I have to do is cut the tubes in room fifty nine, and then I'm pretty much free as a bird until I'm paged to do something else. That reminds me, how was your field work?" asked Fono, tucking some jet black hair behind her ear.

Eotef shrugged. "It was okay. I had a lot of freedom, and I found a ready source of brave and determined people. I got hell scunted when I got back, though."

"Why?"

"I disclosed some information to an outside party." he said, stopping to note the statistics on the next door.

"Whoa, look at all these failures." said Fono, looking at the chart. "Twelve out of twenty. Even my department doesn't do that bad, and we're all juniors."

"A sixty percent fail rate. The Superior will not be pleased. I just hope there aren't any heavy objects around when I hand in my presentation, or else he might ditch them at me like last time." remarked Eotef, writing the report down.

"What did he throw at you last time?"

"A chair. Luckily, he missed. But, this time he might get me, and he can throw hard. I already feel a bruise forming, just from thinking about it."

**X**

Tidus was at the hoops too, and slowly swam towards them. He, too, received the same shock as Peggy.

Peggy swam as fast as he could, trying to shake the creature off. It just kept advancing towards him, and he felt a wave of helplessness wash over him. The hoops through which he so desperately swam were big enough for the animal, which had bared several rows of yellow teeth at the teenager. Holding his breath seemed to become more difficult, as he dove through another of the red neon loops, trying to evade a bite. Peggy's heart pounded, pumping blood to his head as he thought, racking his brain for an idea, anything which would save his limbs.

"No!" yelled Kretowicz, watching his friend swimming desperately on screen.

"YOU'RE SICK!" yelled Xolas, at the cameras and audience members around the room. She walked around the pool, pointing out random audience members. "You're sick! You're mental! You're a sadist! You're a jerk! You're a f-"

Tidus almost screamed as the creature immediately lunged at him. He'd been trained for this in Blitzball class, though he never thought he'd need to use the underwater attacks that his first three lessons revolved around. He dove down, and kicked the shark in the stomach, temporarily stunning it and causing the animal to slow down. Tidus then swam up a bit, and jabbed it in the eyes.

_"Yeeeeaaah! Take that, scaly!"_

"Oh, my God." said Serena, uncovering her eyes. She had placed her hands over them when it had moved towards Tidus. "I thought he was done for."

"And I thought he didn't pay attention at Blitz training, ya. At least he remembered." said Wakka,

Tidus swam as quickly as he could, away from the injured sea creature. It wasn't long before it recovered, however, and was soon swimming at top speed; fully intending to eat him.

Peggy made a last ditch attempt for escape, and threw himself against the wall of the pool. He prayed that the shark would lose interest, hoping that he would leave him alone. He could have screamed when it backed up, and swam at him, to ram him in the torso. Peggy's reflexes kicked in, and he placed his hands upon the beast's head, and leapfrogged over. He almost burst with pride as it smashed face first into the fibreglass.

_"Haha! Dumb animal."_

His heart skipped a beat as it just turned to him. Then he remembered that he was holding his breath, and swam into the next hall, which to his joy was too small for the lumbering sea creature.

_"Oh, thank God."_

There was another SCUBA tank on the wall, and Peggy took many deep breaths, glad that he had escaped drowning, mauling and consumption.

The Red team cheered loudly, each letting out a sigh of relief. Keye clapped with joy as she laughed at the close shave. Tom realized that Keye couldn't be truly mute, not if she could laugh and cheer. He wondered why she didn't speak, even when she had the ability.

Tidus waited until the animal was up close, and then punched it right in the nose. It tried to rip his arm off, so he punched it again and again, hoping that it would back off. To his happiness, it did, leaving him able to escape. He swam through, and grabbed the SCUBA mask, placing it over his face.

"... And YOU ARE A JERKWAD!" cried Xolas, pointing at an image of Larry. "You're lucky that I don't know where you are, because if I did, you would have to do this. WITHOUT THE SCUBA TANKS!"

"You done, sis?" asked Roxas, interrupting his sister before she could restart her Screamfest.

"Almost." Xolas then continued with a long string of profanities that would cause me to rate this R.

"Is she okay?" asked Selphie, looking over at the blonde.

"She... has a lot of anger."

The Red team laughed at her, as she accused Larry of snorting illicit drugs and doing indecent things with a Galapagos Islands Tortoise.

"Freak." said Emmeleine, holding her stomach and pointing. "Total, utter, weirdo freak. Oh, my God, what a lame arse!"

Xolas whirled around to look at her, wishing she had her Keyblade. She'd show her who was boss, and throw her into the water. Actually, what was stopping her from doing that? She didn't need an oversized key to kick arse, all she needed was a decent footsweep and a victim who deserved to be drenched.

Xolas pretended to ignore her comment, but then ran full speed, and much like the shark had intended to do to Lucky Peggy, rammed Emmeleine. She stumbled back, and fell into the water.

Now it was the Key-bearer's turn to laugh. She ran back to her group, who were also in hysterics, and giggled from a safe distance.

Even some of the Red's boys laughed. Tim, Henry and Kretowicz laughed their heads off at their so-called leader, as she swam to the edge. They all wanted to stop laughing out of good manners, but couldn't do it. Redmond politely took Emmeleine's hand, and helped her out of the deep water. Her curls were now heavy, and had stretched out into waves, rather then staying in their natural positions.

_"Uh oh, and we have some friction between the two teams."_

"DUH! We're on opposite sides!" cried Xolas, not missing a beat.

Emmeleine glared at the three laughing boys, her grey eyes cold and hard. Still, they could not help but laugh, and she slapped all three across the face.

"Ow!"

"Youch!"

"Hurts!"

"Now, will you stop laughing, or will I have to shave your heads totally bald and put your hands in warm water while you sleep?"

"We'll sto- BWAHAHAHAHA!" cried Henry, set off again by another look at Emmeleine's dripping hair and clothes.

She balled her hands into fists, and Henry stepped back, expecting a punch. Instead, the seventeen year old turned on her heel, and walked away. She almost tripped over her wet track pants, but didn't care about her safety. Emmeleine just wanted to get out of there. Redmond was listening the closest, and could have sworn he heard her sobbing as she broke into a run, heading back to the bunk.

Xolas felt a pang of guilt, but it was coated over with the reassurance the Emmeleine might be kinder to her team in future.

Peggy swam forward, and saw the bars. They were stainless steel, and rotated around in the water, like a revolving door.

He shrugged, and swam at them. He was gently knocked around to the other side, where another hall stemmed upwards. Cautiously, he swam through.

He broke the surface of the water, and saw the two teams nearby.

_"And it looks like we have a winner! Red takes the victory again!"_

Green groaned, but Red cheered, though somewhat halfheartedly. Peggy climbed out, and walked back over to his team.

"It's cold again." he said, with a smile. Redmond handed him a towel, and they walked back to their bunk.

Tidus rose to the surface not long after, and groaned when he realized that he had lost.

"Damn! If I'd had a bit more time..." He clambered back onto the dry concrete, and was given a towel by Selphie.

"You did great, Tidus." she said, reassuringly.

"Thanks. Hey, where's Emmeleine?"

"She ran back to her bunk. She was upset." said Serena.

"What about?"

"She was being a bitch, so I knocked her into the water to learn her one. Then, her team laughed at her and she ran away." answered Xolas, embarassment and pride mixed in her voice.

Roxas said she sort of deserved it, but he didn't approve of knocking everyone who was ever nasty into freezing water.

"Why?"

"Because then the sea levels would rise too high, and we'd drown."

**X**

Alex tucked her arms into her cloak, in an effort to protect herself from the wind. It blew down through the mountains and over the group, causing each Organization member to shudder. Snow fell heavily, as part of a blinding blizzard.

"Brrr, it's a bit nippy!" said Xeonide, trying to keep his hood up, fighting against the biting gale.

His voice echoed around the valleys, bouncing between the peaks.

"More like chompy! It's bloody horrible!" cried Alex, trying to make herself heard over the annoying gusts. She clenched her jaw to avoid biting her tongue with her chattering teeth. It didn't work, and she yelped as she inadvertantly caused herself to bite the interior of her cheek.

"Why don't you just warm yourself up with fire?" asked Demetrix, wondering if she could make another icewall like the one she had used in her second fight against Sora to block the wind.

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_Alex jumped in and, with agression in her voice, said "You know what is bright? FIRE!"_

_She summoned her chakrams and melted the snow around herself and her comrades. Demetrix used her sitar to control it and raise the water into a wall, which quickly froze in the freezing conditions. Xolas began to cast magic on Sora and his pals, able to do it safely, as they were all protected by the towering wall of ice._

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

"I'll end up burning myself. Let's find some shelter, there might be some caves."

"THEN will you light a fire?"

"I'll light your hair on fire in a second. C'mon."

"Wait a second!" said Lixnus, grabbing Alex's sleeve. "Don't just walk off in any direction. You could walk off a cliff!"

"What are we meant to do? We'll freeze to death out here!" said Demyx.

"We should use echoes to figure out what direction to go in. It may just stop us from slipping over an edge."

"Okaaay. How does that work?" asked Xeonide, finally giving up and letting his hood drop down.

"We turn and yell in different directions, and the one which we receive an echo back from quickest will be from the mountain we're stood on."

"I see." lied Demetrix, even though she was just thinking about monkeys for some reason.

Lixnus quickly ran the test, and determined that the third direction he had faced was the safest.

"This way!"

Xeonide recommended that the group monkey-grip to avoid getting seperated. Lixnus took ahold of Alex's wrist, who grabbed his, took Xeonide's in her other hand, who took hers, grabbed Demetrix's who in turn took Demyx's.

Number VI led the group across the snow to the side of the mountain, and traced along it with his free hand. He found a shallow overhang, which would shelter them from the wind. When the entire group was stood in its shadow, Xeonide pushed a large boulder inside the shelter across, and found that it went deeper.

"Hey, there's a cave. Let's go in there, because it might be warmer."

The five waited for ages in there, around a fire Alex had lit using a few sticks she found around the small shelter. Demetrix sat on the ground, ocaissonally casting water out into the blizzard, and admiring the shapes the icicles formed.

"Hehe, this one looks like Elvis!"

Xeonide was looking through his pack of cards, at the designs. Some were standard playing cards, others had X's and O's on them, and the odd one was blank.

Alex was leant against the side of the cavern, just thinking and topping up the fire when it looked like it was struggling. Demyx plucked the strings of his sitar, strumming out a random tune.

"How long will we be here?" asked Alex. She looked at Lixnus, who had conjured up an illusion of a tree.

"God knows. A few minutes, hours. Days."

"Minutes? Aw, that sucks!" said Demetrix, retrieving another icicle.

"I think our main concern is days."

"We should come back later. There's no way they'd be in this storm." said Xeonide.

"We may as well." Alex decided for everyone else, by dumping some snow onto the bright fire. It violently hissed and crackled, before dying. She opened a portal, to the group's next destination.

**X**

As Tim, Henry and Kretowicz entered the Red bunk, they ducked as three low flying glasses hit the hall behind their heads.

"YOU'RE..." yelled Emmeleine, as she picked up a plate, throwing it at the group.

"NOT..." She grabbed a stick of Blackpool Rock, and hurled it to the ground.

"SUPPOSED TO LAUGH..." She snatched up an orange, squeezing it so hard that the juice ran down her arm.

"AT YOUR SUPERIOR OFFICER! ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE'S A GIRL!" Emmeleine then tossed the orange against the boy's glass bedroom door, before stomping into the girl's bathroom and locking herself in. Keye gave the three an angry glance, before walking to the door. She gently knocked on it, but was met with a harsh reply.

"Go away!"

Keye sighed, and tried again.

"I said to leave me alone!"

She craned her neck back a little, slightly upset that she couldn't get the message through. Redmond stepped forward and leaned on the door.

"Emmy..."

"Shut up and piss off!"

Redmond was offended, and quickly returned an insult.

"Are you sure there's enough room for both you AND Oscar in there? You'll be kicked out, because he's so grouchy that he won't put up with your moods!"

"...Shut your pie-hole!"

Keye shook her head. They just didn't know how to talk to a girl. It wasn't their fault that she'd been pushed into the pool, and even Keye had giggled a little.

She pushed Redmond away from the door and knocked on it.

"Eh-ky." Keye made a mumbling noise, still not saying any proper words.

"...What? Stop messing around and go away!"

"Mh hm eh ky!"

"What the Hell are you doing?! I said to piss off!"

Keye clenched her fists, and finally cried out. "I said 'It's Keye'!"

The boys looked at eachother. They'd never heard Keye utter anything other than a scream, laugh or hum.

The door swung open, and Emmeleine stepped out.

"You've broken your vow of silence." she said.

"You knew why she couldn't, er, wouldn't talk, and you didn't tell us? How come?" asked Peggy.

"Because you wouldn't understand." answered Keye. "I'm gonna take it back up, but for now I'll just talk. Now, stop arguing. If we're going to get through this alive, we need to work as a team, got it?"

"Yeah, alright." said Emmeleine, and then glared at the boys. She may have to work as a team with them, but she wasn't going to let them forget.

"Yeah, sorry about that whole pool thing, Emmy." said Kretowicz, blushing slightly.

"Sorry." agreed Tim.

"Sozzle."

Emmeleine sighed. "Whatever. But, if you ever pull any shit like that again, I'll delete you myself!"

**X**

After Raydran had finished with the lightbulbs, she had gone home. Loki had spent the entire time whinging about every little thing, and it had annoyed her mother to no end. That was the kind of thing she would have now, but inside Raydran was glad that she could finally have a proper relationship with her five year old.

Loki sat on the floor of the apartment, moving her toy chocobo around as though it were running across the Calm Lands. She giggled as 'Mister Chocobo was fined for speeding under the effluent of alkholly'.

"Influence of alchohol, Loki." said Raydran, smiling at her daughter's innocent playtime. She had lived without seeing her, save about an hour a day. Now she could really spend some time with her.

The small girl still didn't have many toys, save the chocobo and a few new dolls Raydran had bought for her upon taking leave from the military.

"Mummy?" asked Loki, rising from the ground and wiping her hands on her green pants.

"Yeah?"

"Are there any other kids around here? There must be, because we were all running back wiv pink explosions on our backs, 'memba?"

Raydran suddenly realized that Loki would need to go to school soon.

"I don't know. There will be, but I haven't seen that many. You'll make friends when you start school." she answered, as she opened a box of cereal for Loki's dinner.

"...What's a school?"

Raydran thought for a moment before answering. "It's where all the little kiddies like you go to learn things and have fun."

"Doesn't sound like fun." Loki returned to playing, and as Raydran put the cereal away, she thought about the day she had married Vinecuta.

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_Raydran regarded her image in the mirror, as she prepared for her marriage. Her dress was white, though the material was not particularly rich or desirable, it was perfect for the couple. Their budget was tight, but Raydran and Vinecuta; her husband-to-be, had managed to fund a small wedding ceremony. She glanced at the clock, and saw that she had five minutes until it was time to walk down the aisle._

_"Relax," said Krishe, an old time friend who would be walking her down the aisle in place of her absent father "There are only about twelve people here."_

_"I know, I know, but still, I'm nervous."_

_"Who isn't nervous before their wedding?" asked Eyre, her maid of honour._

_The five minutes passed quicker than Raydran had imagined, and she felt gooseflesh creep up her arms as the wedding march began to play._

_"Oh, geez..." she said, flipping her veil down over her face. _

_Before she knew it, Raydran was being escorted to the front of the room, where Vinecuta was stood. Wearing a traditional Al Bhed wedding robe over black pants and a white shirt, he smiled at his fiance. That was when the anxiety leaping around inside Raydran's stomach vanished, and she knew that this would be worth each moment that she stood next to him, before the judge who would wed them. _

_Krishe unhooked his arm from hers, and smiled at the two as they joined hands on their special day. Eyre, Hikki and Rusae stood near the bride, acting as her two bridemaids and maid of honour. Next to Vinecuta was Reno, his best man. They had met not too long ago, not more than a few months, but became fast friends._

_"Tayn vneahtc, fa yna kydranat rana dutyo du zueh drec syh, yht drec fusyh eh rumo sydnesuho." said the judge, reading aloud from an Al Bhed lawbook. Roughly translated, this sentence meant: "Dear friends, we are gathered here today to join this man, and this woman in holy matrimony."_

_"Syo dra pmaccehkc uv Heaven pa nyehat ibuh dras." responded the crowd, calling upon Heaven to bestow blessings upon them._

_"Tuac yhouha ryja yho esbatesahd, frelr fuimt bnajahd drec luibma vnus paehk myfvimmo fat?"_

_No one stood up, and so it was established that there was no reason why Raydran and Vinecuta couldn't be married in the eyes of the law._

_"Tu oui, Vinecuta Tyo Moliere dyga Raydran Ylonada Rossel yc ouin myfvim fattat feva?"_

_"E tu." answered Vinecuta, smiling at his bride. She looked so beautiful in the light streaming in through the windows._

_"Yht tu oui, Raydran Ylonada Rossel dyga Vinecuta Tyo Moliere yc ouin myfvim fattat ricpyht?"_

_"E tu."_

_After that, it was the simple matter of signing the wedding licence. While to an outsider, it may have seemed like just another wedding between two young adults, which would most likely break down within a day, to Raydran it was different. To her, it was the single biggest thing in her small life. To her, it was the best day ever. To her, it was everything. That was before the raid..._

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

**X**

Okay, that's the end of the chapter!

Next time: A chapter dedicated to Ienzo and his family, made up of flashbacks to three years ago.

SkyLandOcean


	13. Burn It To Ashes

Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, SORRY! I have no idea why I waited so long to update! SORRY! I finished editing DAYS ago! Well, now that I have time to update (I'm off school sick today), here it is! SORRY EVERYONE!

**X**

Ienzo had no idea what had happened after he had run off, and wanted to know. He wanted to so that he had a better idea of what had gone on in his missing years. So, he asked his family to fill in the details and give him the full picture. He learnt the following by asking his parents and brother.

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_Sharon was looking for Ienzo all over the house. When he was angry he'd pick a random hiding place, and stay there for hours, no matter what was happening. Once, he had hidden under the stairs for six hours, with a PocketCom to write articles for an online science site, and didn't come out for lunch or even dinner._

_She had walked into his room to check his wardrobe, but glanced the note he had left taped to the window, which was open. She saw that his most recent experiment had been cleaned out, and the animal gone. Mildred was actually looking after it, laid in her basket with the newborn kitten at her side._

_"Ienzo? Where are you? You're not in the attic again?" she called, looking at the ceiling._

_Shrugging, Sharon pulled the note off, and unfolded it. The crisp sheet crinkled in her hands. Her grey eyes scanned the words, and she tossed it down after reading it for the second time._

_"Crap!" Sharon opened his wardrobe, and saw that his backpack and his favourite hoodie were gone, and a pair of sunglasses was missing from the compartment in the wall. She yanked open his bedside drawers, and saw that he had indeed taken his notebooks and wallet._

_"Hajime! HAJIME!" she cried, picking up the note and rushing down the stairs. Sharon kicked her shoes off her feet, to avoid tripping and breaking something._

_"What, what?" he asked, walking into the hall. Sharon stopped in front of him, desperation on her face._

_"He's done it again! He ran off! Ienzo left this note." she said, pushing it against her husband's chest._

_"Now, don't panic. He's probably at Suzume's house like last time."_

_He had used her room as a hideout once, begging Suzume not to turn him in. She didn't, but her mother found him and called his parents._

_"What is it?" asked Serena, walking into her parent's presence. She watched as her mother handed over the note, and her dad's eyes read the words of the angry and angsty teen._

_"Ienzo ran off again." said Sharon, as she tried to compose herself. This had happened four times before, but each time was more and more frightening._

_"I'll go out and find him, don't worry. I'll be back soon." Hajime grabbed his coat from the hook on the wall, and picked up the car keys._

_As her father walked out of the door, Serena turned to her mother. _

_"Why does he always do this to us? Anything could happen to him."_

_"I don't know, but I'm scared." Sharon picked up the phone to ring around and ask if Suzume had seen her eldest._

_Meanwhile, Ienzo was taking the back roads, his hood pulled up to obscure his face. His bag was slung over his back, and he looked and listened out with caution, afraid that this fifth attempt would also become the fifth failed attempt._

_He heard the familiar sound of his father's car, and jumped into the bushes of a nearby house, fearing capture. Ienzo saw that the windows were down, as Hajime looked out at the street. After a few moments of looking, he drove on. When the teen could no longer hear the car, he ran back down the way he came. He would have to take another street, and perhaps jump through a few yards._

_Hajime returned to the house after several hours, and the four younger Aomoris, Sharon holding the newborn Isis, rushed to the windows to check if Ienzo had been dragged back home, as he always had been._

_Everyone groaned when they saw that there was only Hajime in the car, and Sulin immediately began to worry. This had never happened before. What if he never came back? It would be on his conscience forever, but little did he know that he would almost explode with anger when he would see him again. _

_Hajime turned to Sharon, and told the kids to go to their rooms. The four exchanged glances, and Zoe glared angrily at her older brother, before running to her room and slamming the door. _

_Sulin walked slowly to his own room, and the two others followed him, to listen to the conversation._

_"I think we need to call the police." said Hajime, solemnly. The two could tell he felt guilty about yelling at the thirteen year old earlier._

_**XxFLASHBACK WITHIN A FLASHBACKxX**_

_**Sulin walked into Ienzo's room, while his brother made one of his rare trips downstairs to get a bottle of water. He saw the cat, and turned around to tell his parents. **_

_**Ienzo saw him and shoved his shoulders, causing the younger boy to step backwards.**_

_**"Don't you dare say anything, you little squirt."**_

_**"Okay, okay! I won't! Just don't use your 'crazy shut-in' powers to turn me into a moose."**_

_**"Get lost." Ienzo shoved him again, sending his brother sprawling to the floor. The elder of the two then stormed into his room, slamming the door behind him. A click indicated that he had locked himself in.**_

_**Sulin was understandably frustrated by this. He rubbed his backside, having landed at a painful angle. Being treated like crap and knowing that telling his parents could cause them more frustration; therefore knowing that Ienzo could never truly be punished for what he had done. **_

_**"You suck, you know that?! You're not even my brother anymore! You're some bloody, crazy psycho demon who has inhabited his body for the past three years, and I'm SICK OF YOU! You don't need doctors and medicine!"**_

_**On the other side of the door, Ienzo nodded. **_

**"That's where I agree with you." **_**he thought.**_

_**"No, what you need is a PRIEST! I don't care if you punch me again, or if you pour some chemicals on me! I'm telling, because I want my brother back!"**_

_**  
"Fine, tell! I won't stop you!"**_

_**"You can't get at me from behind your door, so how can you?! You're your own prison! How did it even get this bad?! You're going to grow up to be a serial killer or something! Don't expect any help from me!"**_

Ienzo remembered how much those words had hurt.

**"Ouch." **_**he thought, features softening for a minute. Instead of telling Sulin that he'd hurt him, he cried: "AND MY FIRST VICTIM WILL BE YOU!"**_

_**He jumped at the door, unlocking it and slamming it open. **_

_**"YOU'RE DEAD, YOU LITTLE JERK!" **_

_**Sulin almost jumped out of his skin when the door opened. He stepped back and leapt onto the stairs, running down them to the hall. He turned right at the end, and then turned right again, running into the living room. **_

_**"Dad! Ienzo's gone psycho and threatened to kill me!" he panted, grabbing his father's arm and tugging.**_

_**"What?" Hajime held his head in his hands. "What happened to him?"**_

_**"I saw that he was cloning a cat or some other crazy shit and he busted me and now, essentially, he has threatened to kill me! You know he might actually do it!"**_

_**Hajime hated himself for thinking it, but it was something Ienzo might do if he was provoked enough. **_

_**Ienzo ran in; fulling intending to whack Sulin through the wall, strangle him and stab him.**_

_**"You're a freak!" yelled Sulin, running behind his father for protection.**_

_**"Ienzo, what's this I hear about cloning? That isn't supposed to be done! It's inhumane!"**_

_**"It's RESEARCH! And besides, not everyone has a thirteen year old son able to grow a cat in his bedroom!" retaliated Ienzo, in his sixteenth fight that week. He did not have the best relationship with his parents, and that is putting it lightly.**_

_**"It's immoral, and not to mention it should be impossible!"**_

_**"I can make it possible, and it's not immoral! It's done all the time, as research to cure disease! Cancer research has improved greatly because of experiments like my own!"**_

_**"It could result in catastrophic mayhem all over the planet! We could all get radiation poisoning from that thing!"**_

_**"Are you trying to be funny, HAJIME? This is hardly going to become a level in **_** Resident Evil**_**!" When Ienzo was really mad, he called his parents by their first names.**_

_**"Don't talk to your father that way!" said Sharon, from the kitchen. **_

_**"Don't YOU talk to ME that way! You know what, I give in! If you'd paid any attention to me at all, you'd notice I have DEPRESSION! I'd be better off **__**DEAD!**__** I HATE YOU, SULIN!" Ienzo ran up the stairs, and slammed his bedroom door shut behind him. He grabbed a backpack from his wardrobe, and looked at his list of things to take on a runaway attempt. He always had it handy, in cases like these. It would allow Ienzo to get out quickly, and ensure that he wouldn't have to return to the house at night (If he managed to evade recapture) and grab anything extra.**_

_**He was glad that no one ever came to talk to him after an argument, and so had plenty of time to prepare everything. Ienzo looked at the petri dish housing the new cat, and decided that it had progressed enough to be born. He severed the life support system he had set up, and the animal was ready for the world. He'd leave it for his parents to decide what to do, but he had the feeling that Mildred - their current cat - would make a good mother to the young kitten. Ienzo stuffed everything on his list into the bag, scribbled down an offensive and angry note, before shimmying down the drainpipe to the front yard, and running down the street.**_

_**XxEND OF FLASHBACK WITHIN FLASHBACKxX XD**_

_"It's not serious to the point where we have to, right? He'll still be in town?" asked Sharon, hopefully._

_"No, he's a fast runner. He'd be through the town by now."_

_Sulin sank to the floor, tears in his eyes. It had never been this bad before. He had always turned up within hours, but now the police were being called in to join the search._

_The three heard the phone dial as Sharon pressed in 000, and heard her voice tremble as she requested assistance. _

_That night, the sky would have helicopters and searchplanes casting their spotlights over the city, searching for the angry teenager. Men and women on horseback seached the rural areas, and patrol cars would stalk the streets, in hopes of finding the seething boy. Everyone in the neighbourhood knew of his bad temper, bad attitude and weird experiments to try and make impossible things a reality. Some even whispered that he might grow up to become a serial killer, or a psychopath in a cell with white padded walls. Others said he wouldn't live to be twenty, because his angst had boiled inside for so many years that he might end up doing something stupid. That was why the police hadn't waited twenty four hours to search, as is the norm. They set out straight away, knowing that Ienzo was a danger to himself and possibly others._

_The four children who were old enough to speak sat on the couch, waiting for the phone call that would calm all their hearts and make them happy again. It didn't come. As midnight drew near, Sharon never moved from the window, and Zoe sat next to the phone, hand poised to pull it off the hook and hear her brother's whereabouts. Finally, she screamed._

_"I HATE YOU, SULIN! HATE YOU, HATE YOU, __**HATE YOU!**__"_

_She ran from the room, and her dad followed her out. Sulin just stared into space, and for a minute Sharon feared that her second eldest son would turn into her second eldest runaway. _

_"It's my fault, isn't it?" he choked. He started to cry, tears staining the twelve year old's face._

_Sharon wanted to say something comforting to him, but she couldn't make herself speak. Serena just offered the best that a nine year old could, and leant on her brother to comfort him._

_"No, it's not your fault. We all contributed to this."_

_"Now you're talking like him!" cried Sulin, shifting himself up. He too ran to his room, slamming the door._

_Sharon sighed. "I don't know what we'll do without Ienzo."_

_Serena felt guilty as she thought: _"Probably be a bit happier."

_Landusoi moved from his now crying sister's side, and hugged his mum's leg. He silently offered comfort, not knowing what to say. He didn't even know the right words, being at such a tender age that even simple, everyday words like 'gasp' baffled him._

_Ienzo was actually hiding in a public toilet near the beach, sleeping - or trying to - in a shower stall. Sat on the bench upon which people placed their clothes, he wrote in a notebook:_

Ran away today. They deserve it.

_He was on the news, along with a description of his hoodie and backpack. As people watched the broadcasts and updates over the next few days, they talked among themselves. _

_Had he hopped onto a ship? Was he working in a shop at Centro Destiny? Was he dead, murdered or suicide? Had he been kidnapped from the streets? Or had his family done something to him? _

_All these questions swam about in Sulin's mind. He knew the answer to the final one, which he thought was 'Yes'. _

_He had done something to him. He had made him run away, and maybe do something stupid involving getting into an unmarked white van, or hurting himself. It was his fault, and his alone, that Ienzo had gone. He wished that he could do the same, just to avoid Zoe's angry stares, Serena's saddened eyes, and Landusoi's innocent inability to comprehend the situation. _

_He locked himself away in his room for hours at a time, most days the only thing he could eat without throwing straight back up was a glass of milk and a piece of bread, and his only outlet a book of lined paper. He thought of his brother's clothes, unworn, sat in his wardrobe. _

_He imagined Ienzo reading a science book, laid out on his bed as his eyes scanned the pages. Sulin didn't care if he would be hated by his senior of a year, he just wanted him back._

_As the days turned into weeks, weeks into months, Sulin still got the same looks from his siblings. _

_Some days Serena and Landusoi would only look sad, and not stare so many daggers that he felt like a dartboard, but Zoe was different. She looked on him the same way Ienzo had when Sulin had ratted him out. Her gaze was steady, like a cobra getting ready to strike. Her eyes never softened, never showed any signs of forgiveness, just pure contempt. Even when he met her gaze, she refused to back away, instead staring at his very life-force, as though she was just about to rip his soul out and burn it to ashes in front of him._

_Nothing was easy anymore. It required a great amount of willpower to even roll over in his bed. To make things worse; his girlfriend, a girl by the name of Amarit, had just dumped him because of three 'reasons'. _

_The first was that she hadn't known Ienzo was his brother, a matter he had kept quiet for fear of teasing. The second was that he had been neglecting her, which was a load of crap. Who wouldn't neglect their girlfriend when thier brother had just run away? The third was that he wasn't cool enough, again, it was not a reason. Amarit had eyes for Trobe, the school sports captain, for ages; and it was now convenient that he had just dumped his girlfriend._

_At least, that day, he could finally get away from all this, though it would change who he was. Literally._

_After he had broken free from the tension of family breakfast time, he walked out into the streets. They were mostly bare at this time of the morning, but Sulin liked them that way. No one to look upon him with scorn, no one to blame him, except his own conscience. _

_Absorbed in his self-blame, he didn't notice the shape that rushed about behind him, until it was too late. The Shadow lunged at him, and the twelve year old only had time to gasp before he saw a heart, his own heart, floating in the air above him. Then he blacked out._

_It wasn't long before he awoke, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Where was he? There should have been bitumen beneath him, not linoleum. _

_He saw someone walk towards him, and was helped to his feet by her. It was a silver haired girl, with amber eyes and a gentle smile. At the time, he had no idea of her intentions to kill everyone in the universe._

_"Hi, I'm Xemnasa. What's your name?" she asked, sweetly._

_"Sulin." he answered. "Where am I?"_

_"Oh, you're just in our lab. You see, we are an organization of scientists, who are standing by to replace the current one if necessary. You're the brother of a current member, I think it was Zexion?"_

_"No, my brothers are called Landusoi and Ienzo."_

_"Ienzo is Zexion. I'll have Wexel here explain."_

_To Lixnus, now a totally seperate guy from Sulin, it was now apparent that Xemnasa meant by 'standing by' that she wanted her father out of the way before revealing her true plans._

_Sulin was renamed that day, and spent the next three years as Lixnus, until he was awakened by his Nobody, and his conciousness basically copied back into his original body. _

_A great many times had he begged to go and see Zexion, and all he was turned down. He wanted to leave, but Xemnasa explained that he would see him again someday. Unusually, she spoke the truth, although she herself had believed it was a lie. _

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

After having heard the entire story, Ienzo went back to his room. He grabbed a notebook and started another note, which he then taped to the window. Then he left the house, telling Sulin that he was going for a walk.

Sharon went into his room a few minutes later, and almost had a heart attack when she saw the paper. She ripped it off, and read it, fearing that he may have reverted back to his angry, emotionally disturbed self.

_To all,_

_Look, words can't express how sorry I am for having put you through all that._

_Dad, I won't do any more of those screwed-up experiments. While I was gone I did enough to last a lifetime._

_Mum, I regret my stupid decision to leave. It may have changed my life in many different ways, but I should have known that I needed major help. Maybe I still do._

_Sulin, you know I don't hate you. Sure, you're very good at pissing me off, but you know I care about you._

_Zoe, you know you don't hate Sulin, and I'm very sorry for screwing your life up._

_Serena, I know you didn't take my behaviour well, but thanks for being the neutral party and not going against or with me._

_Landusoi, you were only seven when I left. I thought you wouldn't want to ever speak to me again, but I'm glad that you don't hate me._

_Isis, you can barely read at the moment, but you probably understand this the least. Why did two strange guys suddenly move in? Who are they? You've been told they're your brothers, but why haven't you seen them before? You'll understand better as we spend more time together, but right now you're still too young to comprehend it. _

_I know this note won't fix anything, but I just wanted to express this. Nothing can make up for how much I made you worry, and I'm sorry. I promise that I'll deal with everything differently now, and there will be no more yelling, cursing and threats. I'm not after forgiveness, God knows I don't deserve it, but I am looking for a resolution to the pain I've caused to those close to me. I'm not even sure if I want my own forgiveness, but even that will have to be earned. I don't want to be the way I am anymore, and I can't trace this back to the start of the drama. I want to move forward, and not look back at the stupid, selfish, and ignorant guy I used to be. This is my new start._

_Ienzo _

Sharon walked down the stairs, tears in her eyes, and found her husband reading in the living room. He was learning about the a conservation act for the Bengal tiger when the note was dropped into his lap.

"Not again!" he said, moving to get up.

"No, no. Just read it."

"I swear, if he's done it again..." Hajime unfolded it, and Sharon watched as the dark blue eyes of her husband scanned it. Her own grey eyes saw as his features softened, and he put the paper in his lap.

"He really does regret it, doesn't he?"

Sharon nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you think we should get him some more help?" asked Hajime, looking up at his wife.

"I don't know. I don't think he needs it, really, but what if it gets bad again?"

"If Itz shows the slightest signs of depression or stress, we'll get help right away. For now, he seems a million times happier than before. The last time he was this happy was when he was ten."

_XxYES, ANOTHER FLASHBACK. SORRY ABOUT THAT! XDxX_

_Ienzo had always been a happy child. More curious than any other toddler, he could sit out and watch the clouds move across the sky, wondering what made them go._

_By the time he was in pre-primary, he could recite the alphabet, and count to six. _

_By year two he was coming up with all sorts of theories, about how slugs and snails were related. Unlike other seven year olds, he knew that slugs were not simply snails without shells._

_In year three he topped his class for Science and Mathematics, a proud achievement. He recieved a book about 'The Way Things Work' at the school awards ceremony, which sparked his dream of becoming a scientist._

_By the time he was nine, Ienzo was determined that his future job would be in genetics and theory. He started to read more and more, finishing some books within hours of obtaining them. He made regular trips to the public library to read._

_When he was ten, there was a bit of a scare, when he left the house. His parents couldn't find him anywhere, and only when his disappearance was announced on the radio did Ienzo realise that he'd forgotten to tell his parents that he was in the local library, where he had been for about nine hours. He had kept himself busy with several books that he had chosen out, and stacked them on a table while he snuggled into one of the many soft chairs. By the time he was found, he had much more knowledge of chromosomes and genes. When he was taken home, he and his parents had a huge argument, which left the aspiring genetiscist pissed off for several days._

_Why couldn't his parents stay off his back? He was going to have to study every day at the library if he would ever do what he wanted. _

_Eventually he got over it, but several more arguments sparked up when he got home at seven PM on a schoolday, because he had been in the National Library, having read all books of interest in the public one. He wanted privacy and sanctuary, and they were messing up his dreams with yelling and the forbidding of him to visit any library until he apologised. _

_Of course, being a proud kid who wanted to retain his dignity, he never did. _

_From there it escalated. The screaming matches became more frequent. _

_Ienzo broke further away, even making a lock for his door from his experiences during his 'Locks and Fastenings' stage. No one could crack it, and he was free from having to see many of his family members, though that didn't stop them from yelling through the wood._

_Ienzo ate little, and refused to come out of his room except for school and breakfast. _

_He rarely ate dinner, and lunch was usually something he bought from the school canteen. He'd always buy a little extra on a Friday, for his lunch on weekends. Sharon and Hajime tried everything they could think of. _

_They asked the school psychologist to speak to him through the door, but the boy never replied to the questions, and simply tuned out by reading a textbook or doing his homework. They tried to make him see a dietitian, but he refused to speak to her either._

_"Why are you always so angry?" asked Serena, at the tender age of six._

_"Piss off, you retarded bitch!"_

_Serena turned to Zoe, who stood with her mouth open in shock._

_"What's a pith potato stick?" asked the younger girl._

_"Be glad you didn't hear him right, you don't wanna know. You can go to Hell for saying that, you know!" Zoe yelled the second sentence through the door, aimed at the ten year old._

_"There isn't a Heaven or Hell! Just science!" _

_"Of course there's a Heaven! Where do you think Mister Fish went?" asked Serena, but Zoe tried to signal for her to shut up._

_"He's rotting in the ground!"_

_Serena started crying and ran away. Zoe blew a raspberry at the door, before chasing her sister down. The younger Aomori girl reported the incident to her mother, who sighed._

_"Ienzo! Get down here!"_

_An angry voice yelled back from the bedroom. "MAKE ME!"_

_That was pretty much it. Take one little boy, who forgets to tell his parents about a trip to the library. Make the trip last nine hours. Stir in some worried parents, who yell because they care. Cause the kid to take it the wrong way. Make him withdraw. What do you get? A mess, that's what._

_Ienzo got into fights with other boys, but while short and scrawny, he could deliver some shattering blows. These punches were like a melee attack, no good for using for self defense, just flurries of desperate whacks._

_All in one week, he broke an arm, a nose, and damn near well put Liaman Stratford into a critical condition during PE. All he had done was lose control of the ball, which narrowly missed the angry child. Next thing he knew, he woke up in hospital. _

_You'd think that after all this he'd be expelled. Well, luckily for him, his aunt worked at the Education Department as the overseer of incidents. If it weren't for her position, no school would have him, not even Nocopaud, the most brutal school on the islands. _

_Pretty soon no one would go near him, and he thought it was good. His teachers were afraid to question his sanity, both out of fear of retribution from his aunt, and also the child himself. If he could put Liaman, a boy as tall as him plus half, into hospital with concussion, what could he do to them?_

_This was why Ienzo was a loner, why he had only the single friend. He once had a large group, but they slowly left him as his anger boiled within him._

_Suzume stuck by him, as he was put through several courses of different drugs to calm him down. None worked, because his will to fight the effects was far too strong. It was as though he had wrestled with them and broken all their backs. _

_By the time he was thirteen, his name was household, BEFORE he ran away. The police had confronted him several times, for harrassing people in the street and attacking other teens who looked at him funny. _

_Everyone saw him as a psycho, which was all attributed to some great past trauma. Perhaps he was abused at home, or had been using illicit drugs. The police interviewed his family several times, but got nothing. Then the genius ran away. _

_XxEND OF FLASHBACK. I LOVE WRITING THEM, BUT SORRY IF THERE ARE TOO MANY! XD xX_

Now that he was sixteen, Ienzo had seen a great many things, done many experiments, and gotten fantastic results which brought both wonder and ruin. As Zexion he had been less like his old self, but still retained many elements, such as dislike for his family. As he had his adventures, things had been realised. Though it would have been nice to believe that it hadn't been his fault at all, that certainly wasn't the truth.

He reflected upon the past six years of his life as he strolled down the streets. What had started it, his good grades which resulted in his interest, leading him to the library that day? Or was it his pride which had been his downfall? Suddenly, he stopped. Something didn't seem right, and Ienzo still had his intuition from his Organization days to tell that something was off. There was someone nearby, someone he knew.

**X**

Okay, I'll end the chapter there. Sorry if you thought the flashbacks were annoying, but I got wrapped up in the angsty mood for chappie eight. I wanted to write some more. And I know, Ienzo is a jerk. I wanted him to be. Yeah, maybe a little extreme, but oh well, not often angst fits in here.

I'll go work on chapter fourteen!

Next time: We discover how Vinecuta died, Bijoux informs Naminé of the cliques' rivalry, and a new face is angry at his girlfriend.

Roger, wilco and out!


	14. A Zillion Hits On YouTube

Welcome to chapter fourteen! I don't think anyone really reads the author's intro, so on with it!

**X**

The raid happened when Loki was about six months old. Everyone was content with their new lifestyles, though not over the moon about the Phantoms lurking on the surface. They all just tried to ignore the noises from above, and get on with thier lives as best they could.

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_One day, Raydran and Vinecuta were walking down the street, with Loki in her father's arms. It was a nice day, as nice as it could get in a place underground with death always lurking around the corner._

_A group of people ran past, screaming bloody murder, and then they saw why. A group of three Phantoms had somehow gotten in, and were attacking the people. Vinecuta and Raydran immediately turned back, running through the crowds. Loki began to cry loudly as her parents desperately tried to navigate the area, to find some form of shelter which they could use. The couple were seperated by a few metres, but running at about the same pace._

_"Keep going!" yelled Raydran, urging her husband on with a hand. "We've gotta escape!"_

_Hearing the sickly noise of a sharp blade slicing through flesh and bones, Raydran stopped running, to see her husband pinned to the ground by one of the Phantoms. He had the knife of an Ictus plunged into his stomach, the blade encased entirely within his body. He was barely moving, and breathing was a big chore. _

_"Vinecuta!" she cried, not knowing what to do. He moved his head, and yelled out to her._

_"Take Loki, and keep running! Don't look back!" shouted the blond, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The young mother took her daughter from Vinecuta, with fear pounding throughout her body. Her dying husband drew in a breath, and then lay still, blood rushing from his wound and staining the street. Raydran turned and ran, in a dreamlike state. She wasn't sure what was happening, but knew that she needed to keep upright and avoid falling, to get her young daughter away from the creatures. _

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

Raydran awoke, drenched in sweat. He skin felt cold and clammy, and her mouth dry. How many times had she dreamed of that? Four and a half years later, it still replayed in her mind, as vivid and obvious as everyday life. She bunched the covers in her hand, while she shook the urge to vomit.

Sighing, she laid back down. Raydran had so often rebuffed requests for dates, because she feared that she might fall for someone new. Not that it wouldn't be nice to have someone else for her to depend on; it was just that she feared she'd lose Vinecuta in the process.

Loki was lucky that she didn't have to remember that day, but that meant that she didn't remember her father. Raydran was glad that Marlene had been kind enough to rescue the photo from the fire in the house, because it was of the couple on their wedding day, and Loki's most treasured possesion.

_"How many times will I have this dream?" _she wondered, wiping her forehead.

**X**

Naminé walked alongside Bijoux back to their room. It was small, but catered to their needs nicely, although the walls needed a new coat of paint. Their three beds were long and thin, to leave as much room as possible while suiting taller teenagers.

Bijoux sat on her own bed, and asked Naminé: "So, you're an Arty now, huh?"

"Yeah, art is pretty much my passion."

"Well, just be careful. The Arties are always getting victimized by us Sporties and the Preppies."

"Can't you tell them not to?" asked the blonde, opening her sketchbook to a fresh page. She picked out a 5B pencil and started to draw an oval on the paper.

"No, if I did, they'd kick me out and kick my head in."

"Why do you hang out with them if they would hurt you for sticking up for someone?"

Bijoux shrugged. "Protection, security. You never know when the Preps might attack."

"I wish I had some protection, if this place is like something from _Canis Canem Edit._"

"Would Toras protect you?" asked the coral-haired girl, leaning back on her bed. She put one hand beneath her head, and rested the other on her stomach, which rose up and down as she breathed.

Naminé smiled. "Yeah, he would."

"He must really like you, if he'd suffer at the hands of us Sporties to protect ya."

"Oh, he wouldn't suffer. He's too brave." Naminé was now lost in her own little world.

"Ooh, someone has a cru-hush!" said Bijoux in a singsong tone.

Naminé made a short, humming sound. "As long as he doesn't find out." She changed the subject. "Do the cliques ever get into serious fistfights?"

"Sometimes. It's usually us that win though, because we can fight really well. The Preppies only hit people of the same gender; a whole chivalry thing, the Nerdies bitch-slap people, the Arties just try not to get involved, and the Writies just seem to stand there and think about how they could describe it for a story. If there was one right now, would you get involved?"

"No, I'd stay out of it."

"A true-blue Arty!" remarked the younger girl, with a chuckle. She closed her eyes and turned over on her bed, to get a bit of rest to recover from her morning excercise.

Naminé shrugged, and looked down at her page again. Moving her pencil carefully, she drew in two eyes, a nose and a pair of lips. Tish walked along the hall, and peeked through the open door.

"Hey, Kyraki!" she said with a smile, showing some of her white teeth. Bijoux immediately sat up.

"Whaddayouwant, Arty?"

"To say hi to Kyraki without some stupid Sporty cutting in."

"You'd better watch your mouth, or I'll break your nose."

Tish rolled her eyes.

"Hey Tish." said Naminé.

"Okay, I'm gonna go before I get beaten up by your roommate. See you."

"Bye." said the blonde, giving her mint-haired friend a small wave.

**X**

Ienzo looked at the boy, stood against a lamp post. He had his blonde hair messed up; as was the current fashion, brown eyes staring at the pavement, and his blue shirt crinkled, as though it had not been ironed for several days. It was Liaman Stratford.

The guy looked depressed, and his wrist was held in his right hand. Ienzo could see that he had been in a fight, and maybe injured it in that way. There was a bruise forming on it, as though someone had gripped and squeezed for several minutes.

Ienzo walked up to him, brushing his Linkin Park shirt off, to get rid of some sandgrains that had just blown up around him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Liaman looked up, and for a second Ienzo feared that he would be recognized. The boy then shook his head.

"I just caught my girl with another guy, and so he grabbed my wrist, and threw me to the floor."

"Why, who's your girl?"

"A slut, that's who. Her name's Abby."

Ienzo nodded, he knew her. She always made passes at every guy she saw. Abby had only ever hit on Ienzo a couple of times, though, because soon after he became cut off and aggressive.

"I know her. I haven't seen her lately, though. She's always in people's faces, with the 'Yak, yak, yak. Ooh, new shoes! WeightWatchers, _Home and Away, The OC, _low fat ice cream, 'Pink is the best colour!', TomKat, Gucci, blah, blah, blah.'." answered Ienzo, making a gesture with his right hand to signify a person talking.

Liaman smiled. "Yeah, that's definitely her. How do you know her?"

Ienzo realized that he should have kept his mouth shut.

_Think, Ienzo, think. Where would I know her from if I wasn't me?_

"Erm, just around. So, are you gonna dump her?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I think SHE dumped ME." Liaman sighed. "Uh oh, there she is now."

A girl with pale blonde hair appeared from around a corner, and walked towards the two. Her red dress fluttered slightly in the breeze, and her white sandals struck the pavement in rhythm, casting up grains of sand which had been blown there.

"Hey, babe." she said, touching Liaman's arm as she walked to his side.

"Don't try that on with me." he answered coldly, pulling himself away.

"What?"

"You know why I'm acting like this. I saw you with your lover in the park! You can't deny it, because he threw me to the floor. You laughed!"

Abby turned to Ienzo, ignoring Liaman's statement. "And who's your cute friend?"

Ienzo rolled his eyes. "You'll get nothing out of me, Abira."

Abby stepped back a little, a mixture of shock and offense on her face. She turned to Liaman and said: "Well, it looks like Amarit will be with you next."

"You recycle your boyfriends onto your sister? That's just creepy."

"Every boyfriend she's ever had was mine first. Except that Aomori guy. Oh yeah, that's actually quite interesting. You know how Sulin disappeared without a trace, no trail or anything taken from his room?" Abby dragged her gaze to Ienzo for a moment, before shifting them back to Liaman's eyes. Well, forehead, as he had his head bowed.

Liaman met her eyes for the first time since she had walked up, curiousity bringing him to it. "Yeah, what about him?"

"He's back at school. Amarit told me that he's in her class, and that they're back together."

"Really? At least we'll finally get the full story."

"Why don't you ask Ienzo first? You'll tell us, won't you?" This time, her eyes locked onto the sixteen year old scientist, who took a step back. Not only was she a slut, but a bitch, too.

_Oh, shitty crap crappy damn shit!_

"Huh?" asked Ienzo, trying to make it seem like he had no idea what this girl was talking about. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Liaman stood rooted to the spot, trying to take in the scene. His now ex-girlfriend was confronting a guy who she thought was the runaway that had put him in hospital six years before. It was a lot to comprehend.

_Okay, if he IS Ienzo, he'll push her over and run. If he isn't, he'll do something else._

Ienzo finally sighed. "How'd you figure it out?" he asked, pushing his hands into his pockets. He felt an overwhelming urge to knock her down, but fought it with all his might. Ienzo didn't want to be who he was anymore, and the first step was to cease his violent nature.

Liaman stepped away from Ienzo, fear in his eyes. But then when he saw the way that he was handling the situation, he became curious enough to stick around and see the outcome.

"Well, you called me by my full name, which you wouldn't know if you hadn't met me. And now that Sulin's back at school, I simply assumed you would be too. Then, there's the fact that I can see your birthmark."

Ienzo touched the nape of his own neck, and realised that the collar of his shirt had slipped back slightly.

"I guess your IQ's increased recently, or at least your detective skills." he said, with a small smile.

"Huh?"

"I said-"

"I mean, why haven't you pushed me over or something?" asked Abby.

"Why would I do that?"

Liaman spoke. " 'If you ever come near me again, Stratford, I'll break your spine!' Quoth Ienzo."

"Have you read 'The Raven' in English class? Anyway, why do you think I came back here? I'm not angry anymore, I don't make death threats, and I certainly don't put people in hospital." answered the black haired boy, tucking a piece of his fringe back.

"I guess the rehab worked. Weren't you on ice or something?" asked Abby, folding her arms.

"I've never touched any form of methamphetamine in my life. I wasn't in rehab, just doing work under an assumed name. I've been back at school for a litte while."

Liaman changed the subject. "Anyway, I'm really angry at you, Abbs. How could you cheat on me?"

Abby shrugged. "I'm not a one guy girl."

He sighed. "Okay, sorry I have to do this. I'm breaking up with you."

Abira shrugged, making it clear that Liaman meant nothing to her. The boy simply shrugged back, and turned to face Ienzo once more.

"Why didn't anyone notice you? Wouldn't everyone be freaking out and avoiding you?"

"No one recognized me. I was afraid of a commotion, so I hid behind my fringe all day." answered Ienzo, flipping his hair down to demonstrate it.

"You were afraid of how people would react." said Abby, nodding to show her understanding.

"Yeah. But, the news is going to state that I'm back tonight, and they have no picture of me. I really want people to know who I am, but they either won't believe me or freak out."

Liaman thought for a moment. "I think that you should make it clear to all who see you who you are. Wear that jacket you had on, in that famous video."

"Famous video?" asked Ienzo. "What famous video?"

Abira recounted it to him. "The one where you got off the train, and the ticket guy recognized you, so you did a leap of faith across the tracks. The train missed ya by millimetres. It's got like a zillion hits on YouTube. It was the last anyone ever saw of you."

"Oh, that. Yeah, that could work."

"Just make sure that people know you've changed. You don't want anyone screaming and running."

"That's taken care of. I have submitted a written statement to the news network, and they responded to say that Tracy would read it aloud."

"Cool." said Liaman. Ienzo turned to face him, and said nervously:

"Sorry about that incident in year five. It was just a ball, and it didn't even hit me! What the hell was wrong with me?"

"S'okay. I was a brat, at least you beat that out of me. To tell you the truth, I was kind of angry that you did better on your science report than me, and I threw it at you on purpose."

Liaman stepped back as Ienzo balled his hands into fists. He was afraid of getting another kicking, but the boy relaxed his hands as suddenly as he had tightened them.

"Sorry about that. I'm still getting a control over my emotions, so you might get that a lot. Just to be safe, step away when you think I'm getting angry."

**X**

Ienzo and Sulin's return was announced on the news that night, along with the other eleven of the Twelve. As usual, Tracy did the report.

_"...Today it was officially confirmed that Ienzo and Sulin Aomori have returned home. The brothers are well known in the area, Ienzo for his anger and highly difficult yet sucessful experiments, and Sulin for disappearing without a trace."_

Seeing it onscreen, Chizu, Mayako and Rini were still considering their options.

It had not been long since they had seen Sola running down the beach, only about three weeks. The three sat around the television in Rini's bedroom, thinking about whether or not they should inform the police.

"I think we should." said Mayako, pressing a red button on the remote and shutting off the screen. "Sara has enough to worry about already."

"Yeah, but we don't want to give her false hope. I heard recently that there was evidence to Sora, I think that was his name, being on one of the little islets, and not drowned. Sara was crushed when he wasn't there."

"But we actually saw Sola. If we told them she was on the beach, they could track her down." answered Rini, plaiting her pale burple hair. It wasn't blue, but it wasn't purple either. Everyone was always debating over it.

"We shouldn't have left it for so long." sighed Chizu.

Mayako thought for a moment. "What if we're banged up for withholding evidence?"

The other two girls exchanged glances. "I have no idea what to do." said Rini, completely confused. To tell or not to tell, that was the question.

"Then there's the fact that we saw her the day she disappeared. What if we're accused of killing her?"

"Okay, we'll keep mum about this for now. But, we have to make sure that none of us lets slip that we know anything. Deal?"

The three quickly agreed, but there was a feeling in the consciences telling them that there was a possibility that their choice was the wrong one.

**X**

Sola drew in a shuddering breath as she cried into her pillow. She had been set off again by the tiniest thing. Raydran wasn't the only person to have lost a loved one.

Sola had been reaching up for a book, when her elbow had knocked a box off of the top shelf. While silently cursing to herself, she had come across an old Barbie doll. Her blonde hair was all messed up, blue eyes looking at Sola with an unbreakable gaze, and perfect skin beneath the teen's touch.

_"Where'd I get this?" _

Then it had hit her.

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_Sola laid on the floor, crying bitterly. She wiped her eyes on her chubby arms, then cried some more._

_"What's wrong?" asked a twenty-two year old Salo, crouching down next to her. He had just walked up the stairs to put some laundry away when he saw his four year old pounding her fists on the ground and weeping._

_"Mmfbrbbrk." Sola's voice was muffled by her arms as she answered._

_"What?" asked Salo, stroking her hair gently. "I can't hear you properly."_

_"MMFBRBBRK."_

_"Sit up." _

_He put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her into a sitting position. He looked into her eyes as he asked her again._

_"What's wrong?"_

_"My Barbie broked!" Sola pulled out a plastic arm and showed her father._

_"Well, how did that happen?" _

_"I dropped a book on her by incident. Er, emacipate, mast-"_

_"Whoa! Don't use that word! The word you're looking for is 'accident'."_

_"Why can't I say 'mastering'?" she asked, confused._

_"Oh. I thought you were saying something else."_

_"Anyway, my Barbie got broked! She was my favourite, and now she's ruined!"_

_Salo was glad she dropped the subject. He didn't want to give her THAT talk for at LEAST another nine years. It was too bad that he would say goodbye for the final time in just two years time._

_"Hmm. This is a pickle. Don't worry about Barbie, she'll be okay."_

_"But I can't PLAY-UH!" she groaned._

_"Barbie will be able to play. Trust me."_

_Salo walked downstairs and shared a few whispered sentences with Sara. _

_Forty five minutes later, Salo came back from the shops. He walked over to Sora and handed him a box, which contained a red toy firetruck. He was delighted and for days on end the only thing you could hear was his skilled impression of a siren._

_He walked up the stairs to where Sola was still sat, sadly trying to stick Barbie's arm back in._

_"Sola, look what your mum and I got for you." said Salo, pulling out a box. Inside was a beautiful Barbie doll, with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. She was clad in a pink ballgown, and had a silver tiara on her head. He had made sure that it was attached, as he didn't want Sola choking on it._

_"Oh, thanks, Daddy!" she cried, springing up and hugging him as hard as she could. He handed her the box and watched her skillfully open it with her four years of Christmas morning contributing to her nimble fingers. He took all the pieces of wire and plastic away, along with the broken doll._

_"A princess for my princess. I'm gonna check Barbie into the dolly hospital. She'll be all better soon!" said Salo, walking down the stairs._

_"Bye Barbie!"_

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

"I wish dad were here now." sobbed Sola, lifting her face up from her tear stained pillow. Sora was walking past, chewing on a Golden Delicious apple, when he heard her say it.

"So do I." he said, sighing. He sat on the bed next to her.

"I want to know who killed him."

"So do I."

"I want them DEAD."

"So do I."

"If I ever meet them, they're dead meat! I'll shoot them the way they shot Dad!"

"And I'll hand you the gun."

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_Sara stood at the kitchen counter, the nearby television turned on. She was mashing some potatoes and boiling some carrots for the twin's tea. Sora and Sola were sat on the sofa, waiting patiently for their father's warzone report. They always watched the news when their dad was on it, it helped them to feel like he was closer to them. This was his first ever live report._

_"This is Destiny News, and our anchor tonight is Tracy McGinnel."_

_"Thank you, Bob. In the war torn nation of Satswayne, a meeting has been called with the two leaders, to try and come to some sort of agreement. We go live to Salo Katamori for the latest news."_

_The screen switched to Salo, the brown haired father of the twins. "Thank you, Tracy. Behind me is the House of Parliament, where this meeting is taking place. The people hope that this historic moment is a correct choice, and will end the devastation that they have endured for the past ten years." Salo gestured at the building with his hand._

_In the background, people could be seen walking around. Just around the corner however, was a man with a radio. He spoke into it._

_A car approached the footpath where Salo was stood, and a man wound down the passenger window. There was no time to escape from when the handgun was pointed out of the door, and six shots filled the air. Six people fell to the ground, two teenagers, an old woman, two passing men and Salo. _

_"Holy shit! Brian, turn off the camera! Turn it off!" cried a woman, scrambling in front of the camera. She hit a button, sending the screen back to the studio._

_"Oh, my God." said Tracy, gobsmacked. She stood up from her desk and ran off to the side, visibly distressed. Indistinct voices could be heard. A word or two drifted over._

_"Shot... ambulance... rebels..."_

_Still sat on the sofa, Sora and Sola were crying, and Sara stood sobbing. They heard a click as the door opened, and Edian; Riku's mother, ran in._

_"Sara, I'll take the kids to my house. We'll call the station and ask to know what's happening." Sara nodded, and Edian took the twin's hands and lead them across the road._

_She came back a few moments later, and Sara picked up the phone while her friend searched the phone book. _

_"Here's the number! 08 6579 2306."_

_Sara dialled it in, and a man answered._

_"Hello, if you're calling about what just happened, I'm sorry but we can't tell you."_

_"I'm Salo Katamori's wife, Sara. Please tell me what's happening!"_

_"We know no more than you do at this point."_

_Sara hung up, knowing she'd get nothing out of them._

_"Well?" asked Edian._

_"Nothing."_

_THE NEXT DAY_

_After a sleepless night, Sara had changed into some dayclothes, and left the twins in their playroom. She was expecting a police officer to arrive any minute and inform her of what had happened. Surely enough, the doorbell rang. Sara checked her hair in a mirror as she walked to the door, making sure it was at least presentable._

_"Hello. Come in." she said, to the two officers at the door. As they entered, they removed their hats._

_"You should probably take a seat, Mrs Katamori."_

_Sora and Sola were listening from the top of the stairs, wishing to hear what had happened._

_Sara sat on the couch, hands trembling with anxiety. _

_"Last night, Salo was taken to the nearest hospital. During surgery, his heart gave out. The doctors tried their best to resusitate him, but to no avail. He was pronounced dead at eleven forty six. We are so sorry."_

_"No! No, oh God, no!"_

_Sora and Sola began to cry as they heard their mother's voice. They knew what had happened, by her distressed voice._

_"It can't be true! It's a mistake! He was twenty four years old!"_

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

"Well, I guess revenge won't fix anything." said Sola. "Revenge never makes anyone happy."

"Yeah, you're right. Still, it would be nice to put whoever did it behind bars."

"I can't agree more there, but the police have no clues. Oh well, always look on the bright side of life."

"Hehe. 'Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true'."

" 'You'll see it's all a show, keep 'em laughing as you go, just remember that the last laugh is on you'!"

"I love that movie."

**X**

That's the end of chapter fourteen! Please leave a review, and lemme know whatcha think. As for me, time to begin work on chapter fifteen!

Next time: Someone gets a bloody face, Riku hates Count von Count, and a new challenge begins.

Roger, wilco and out!


	15. A Steel Ruler Did This

Hello! Erm, chapter below! Moose.

**X**

_"Wondergirl? Huh, Wondergirl! You see, Batman is the same as the rest of the guys around here. They're afraid of women. They're afraid of the almighty uterus! ALMIGHTY UTERUS!" _

Sora and Sola laughed as the onscreen Wonder Woman ranted about Batman. They had to muffle their mad giggling with sofa cushions, lest they be heard by someone outside.

"It's been far too long since I even thought about this show. I'm just glad I have a chance to watch it, now that I have a break from breaking the teeth of Heartless with a key." said the elder Katamori twin, putting a jelly snake in his mouth. It had also been ages since he'd eaten one of those.

"Who keeps giving you all these missions?" asked Sola, through a mouthful of Smith's crisps.

"No one, really. I kind of stumbled into my first, but I decided to pursue the second when the King approached me."

"The King? You mean Charlie Boy?"

"No, not the King of the islands. King Mickey of Disney Castle. He has helped me out of a few fixes, and gives me some very good advice."

"I'd like to meet him. Sora, what do you think I should do? Stay here and try to live normally, fight alongside you to destroy the next bunch of freaks to rear their ugly heads, or try to live between the two? It's like, we're doing all this work, wiping out Xemnasa and stuff, and no one has any idea that had we lost the fight in the gym, they could all be dead right now."

"I think about that all the time. I wonder what the Keybearers before us would have done in our situation. We can't stay 'missing' forever, because a few hearts are already broken. We can't not fight, because then people's bones would be broken. And it seems we can't do both, because it's difficult." answered Sora, scratching the back of his head.

Sola sighed. "What if we're at school and a-"

"Shh, I love this bit."

_"I'm George W. Bush, and I approve this message. Tacos rule."_

The two laughed, and the one minute-sixteen seconds younger twin continued her sentence.

"...and a Darkside appears. What the hell will we do? Kill it, and then tell everyone that the legend of the Keyblade is true, and we've been wiping out Organizations with it? They'd go nuts!"

"I don't know."

"We're in serious trouble."

"Dad would know what to do. It's too bad he can't help us."

"He CAN help us. Do you remember what he always said?"

"'Success won't make you happy. Being happy will make you successful. If you like what you are doing, you will have success'."

"I remember. So, we should keep the Keybearing up?"

"Yeah. For as long as we can, anyway."

"Can we read Dad's letter again?"

"Yeah, let's go get it."

Sora and Sola retrieved the letter, slipping it out of the envelope to observe their deceased father's handwriting. They each gently touched the old paper, taking in their father's final message to them with closed eyes.

Sora's opened his eyes, and began to read slowly aloud. Sola stood with her eyes shut, imagining her father stood next to her as the words ran through her head in time with her brother's reading. He finished soon, and she opened her eyes as Sora began to slide it back inside the envelope. She put a hand on his.

"Wait! What's that?" she asked, her fingernail resting on the back of the sheet. Sora leaned in to look.

In tiny writing which both twins had failed to see before, were two words, written in the smallest possible font size.

"Kayde Tede. Who's that?" asked Sora, looking closely.

"It'll just be the watermark of the stationery company. Don't worry about it. Let's go watch _Robot Chicken _some more."

**X**

Eotef rubbed the side of his face, where a black bruise was forming. He had been sadly let down, for there were plenty of objects that the Superior had to use as projectiles. Said bruise was caused by a large metal ruler. A cut was oozing the purple blood of a Heartless over his flesh, before following the contour of his face.

He would have belted him over the head, were there not a risk of him being executed. Eotef could take orders, but if someone lashed out at him he would retaliate. Unless of course, the person was twice his age and armed with weapons that could kill you in the blink of an eye.

Fono walked up to him, clipboard in hand.

"I'm guessing there were a few weapons handy then." she said, drumming her fingers over the plastic surface on which she was writing. Several notes were jotted down upon the sheet, about the condition of the new EHTs being artificially created.

"Yep. A steel ruler did this."

"...Youch."

"No, it was more of an 'ARRRGGH!'"

Fono giggled, before showing him the notes.

"Look at this. You know how some of the EHTs are created experimentally from the hearts of dead people in morgues?"

Eotef nodded; he was one of them.

"The Superior wants to make it regular, so my boss is going to go get a job as a 'human' pathologist, and I get his job! Isn't that wonderful?"

Eotef was slightly disgusted that the Superior wanted to make graverobbing a normal part of the job, but was glad Fono could finally get off the drudge work of cutting pipes and taking notes all day, to order other Troops around.

"Congratulations. I hope you're not as nasty as him, though. He just plain freaked me out."

"We'll have to wait and see, won't we?" Fono followed this up with a laugh.

Eotef laughed along with her, but a feeling told him that she wasn't joking. She could be cruel at times, especially when your back was turned.

"Well, I'd better get back to taking these notes. I just hope the failure rate has gone down, because I don't need another lamp thrown at my head."

"It was funny when you got all confused from that, and mumbled something about Indiana Jones. Okay, I'll see you later."

Fono turned and walked down the hall, to her laboratory. She had a lot of new EHTs to make, as the patrol Heartless had brought her seven new hearts to work on.

Turning on the light, the black haired girl walked to a machine bolted against the wall. Fono grabbed a heart from a shelf, in a jar with a cork stopper. She pulled it out and placed the jar onto a small conveyor belt, which then moved the heart beneath a scanner. The information of the individual from whom the heart had been stolen appeared on a screen upon the machine.

_Human Male_

_13 Years Old_

_No Genetic Diseases_

_176 Centimetres Tall_

"Hmm, this guy would make a good Patrol Troop." Fono typed that into the machine, which then asked her what age he should be made.

"The usual. Make him eighteen."

This machine that she was operating was very special in its design. Many years ago, the father of her Superior had found a way to train the Heartless to simply hand over the stolen organ rather than consume it. The heart could then be preserved in a jar, and put through the very machine that the Elite Heartless Troop was currently operating. He had stolen it, and it allowed a user to mingle darkness with DNA, to create a Heartless of any age, height, and rank. From the heart would come a Heartless suited to the job they were assigned, and perfect with weapons too.

In case of emergencies, there was a reverse button. If something went wrong during 'production', the EHT using it could hit the button and return the heart to its original state.

Fono stood back and waited for the new Heartless to form. It was only a few minutes before a young man was laid unconscious on the conveyor belt. The girl clapped her hands twice to summon two JMAs to put him into one of the tubes on the wall. He would remain there until he was strong enough to cope on his own. After he was conscious, a chip would be inserted at the base of his skull to remove any traces of memories that he may have retained.

**X**

Naminé walked into the gym, and looked around for the Sporties. Clutching a water bottle in her right hand, she walked over. She was surrounded by Sporties moments later. A couple of the girls cracked their knuckles, and all had their eyes fixed on her.

"Erm, hi." she said, giving them a small wave. "I wonder if you could help me."

"We can call an ambulance when we're done bashing you." said a brown haired girl, wearing a Castleford Tigers football jersey.

"No, not like that. You see, I want to learn how to fight. With a sword."

"...And you want us to teach you?"

Naminé nodded.

"That's weird, you're like an Arty-Sporty cross. An Arporty." said Bijoux.

"So, can you help me?"

The oldest, a boy of roughly seventeen, considered it.

"Hmm... well, I guess so. We ARE one short for our fencing practice. You could join in that, I suppose."

A few of the Sporties looked angry, but kept their mouths shut. This guy was obviously their leader.

"Okay, thanks! When's fencing practice?" asked Naminé.

"Erm, now, I guess."

"Here." Bijoux handed Naminé a thin fencing foil, with a blunted blade and end, to avoid any type of injury.

"Thanks." Naminé experimentally swung it, twirling it in her hand. She liked the way the light in the room caught on the shiny metal.

"Alright, pair up. We'll go one by one on the training mat, while the rest of us watch. What's your name?" asked the head boy, whose name was Moko.

"Kyraki."

"Okay, Kyraki against Bijoux."

Bijoux led Naminé out onto a blue mat, about a centimetre thick and stuffed with foam. She kicked her shoes off, and gestured at Naminé to do the same. The blonde nodded, kicking her white trainers and socks off.

"So," asked Bijoux, circling Naminé once or twice. "Have you ever fenced before?"

"No, but I have had some experience with a double-handed sword. About ten or fifteen minutes, to speak the truth."

"In a real life scenario?"

"Yes."

"Okay, now you're learning to fence. _En garde!"_

Bijoux stood in front of Naminé, and held her blade up.

"Cross yours with mine." she instructed, and Naminé did so.

"Okay, now you need to get from the starting position to a fighting one. You need to release your blade from mine."

Naminé moved her foil to the right, where there was open air, but Bijoux shook her head.

"No, no, no. That's only going to get you killed. I could force your sword to the side and then stab you before you get your guard back up."

"Okay, what do I do?"

"Press against mine, try to force me to the side."

Naminé nodded, and used all the strength in her right hand to push against Bijoux's. She moved it about a centimetre, but Bijoux surprised her by stepping backwards. Naminé fell to the floor.

"That's the first thing you have to learn. A skilled opponent will use everything, even your own weight, against you. If this were a real fight, I'd have stabbed you in the throat by now." She extended a hand and helped the older girl up.

"Let's try that again."

They repeated the actions, but this time, Naminé stepped back. Bijoux whacked the end of her opponent's blade, knocking it to the side. Next thing the blonde knew, the blunted edge of the foil was pressed against the side of her neck.

"See? I used your flimsy grip and the length of your sword against you. If this were real, I could slit your throat right now. Keep a good grip, and never let your guard down. When you do that, it's game over, "Nighty-night dearie"."

Naminé had patience, and so nodded again.

They repeated it a third time, and Naminé was able to remember the instructions. She kept a good grip on the blade, and defended herself from Bijoux's attempt to use her own weight against her by putting it all on the opposite foot.

"You're learning fast. But, are you ready for this?"

Bijoux swung her arm into the air, and brought her foil hard down upon Naminé's. Naminé dropped her foil in surprise, and found her opponent's weapon an inch from her nose.

"Hmm, it looks like we're going to have to teach you some reaction reversal." said the thirteen year old, lowering the weapon.

She led Naminé off the mat, and they each handed the swords to two more people.

"What's that?" asked Naminé, taking a drink from her bottle, which she had left at the side of the mat.

"It's a way of training you to tighten your grip on your weapon when you're surprised, rather than loosening it."

"And that'll help?"

"Immensely. I recommend that you come back tomorrow, because we're practicing fencing then, too. But today you should watch the rest of us, and get some idea of how a fight plays out."

**X**

Riku sat on the living room floor with his sister, who was sat watching _Sesame Street. _Riku had never been into the show, especially since his darkest secret was that he had been freaked out by Count von Count ever since he had a nightmare about him sucking his blood.

_"One pint of blood! Ha ha ha! Two pints of blood! Ha ha ha!"_

Riku shuddered. He really hated that damn Muppet.

"Ooh, my favourite bit!" said the young girl.

_"One, two, three, four, five, six-"_

_"STOOOOPPPP!"_

_"Our number is six. Ha ha ha!"_

"Damn that stupid puppet."

"Huh?" asked Rikujou, directing her gaze from a man leaping around onscreen holding up a cardboard six to look at her older brother.

"Nothing, don't worry about it. Ah, now here's a good segment." Cookie Monster appeared on the TV.

_"Hello. I'm Cookie Monster! Look at this cookie, yum yum!"_

Riku had a look at the snack he was holding, and saw that it wasn't even his regular chocolate chip one. It was made of wheat.

_"Me must be very careful not to eat this cookie, because cookies are a sometimes food."_

"...Yeah..."

_"Cookie Monster must not eat cookie! Must resist cookie!" _ The monster then put the cookie down and said:

_"Yay, Cookie Monster avoided eating cookie. You try."_

"What the heck? He isn't even a Cookie Monster anymore, he's a Diet Monster."

"I'm bored of _Sesame Street. _I wanna go and play with my dolls." Rikujou stood up and left the room, so Riku switched off the telly. He wandered into his own bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Like the Katamori twins, he began to think about what he was going to do. He had more to worry about than them, what with learning to drive coming up, exams that he would have to do at the end of the year, probably getting a job and the responsibilities he had as an older brother to a toddler. He barely had time to think about weapons training, defense of the universe and gummi ship piloting. He had to do so many things in such a small time frame. Riku wondered how Spider-Man managed to juggle college and the defense of New York City from evil people.

"Oh wait, he didn't. His ex-girlfriend died and dozens of criminals are after his head."

The teen sighed and switched on his laptop, figuring that writing a bit of fanfiction would straighten his thoughts.

**X**

Once again, the Greenies were sat in their bunk. Serena was speaking quietly to her sister, who was nodding assent. Xolas sat upon her bed, tapping her feet rhythmically on the floor, while Selphie laid back with her eyes closed. She was thinking hard, hoping that something might come up. Then, it hit her.

"What's the 'pit'?" she asked, sitting up.

"Huh?"

"When we were dragged through the door, a voice said that we had opened the pit. What is it?"

"Don't ask me. I know what it doesn't mean, it doesn't mean the Infinity Void, because I've been there. God, that is one place I wish never to seen again. But anyway, you should ask Roxas. He might know."

"I might know what?" came the voice of the blond, poking his head in the glass door. He brushed his fringe from his eyes, frowning because of the obstruction it brought to his view.

"What the 'pit' is. That creepy voice that scared the bajeebers out of us in the Secret Place said something about it."

Roxas shrugged. "I have no idea. I'd ask Zexion, but he isn't here."

"Dammit. What if the pit houses a weapon, like the Crystal of Darkness?"

Roxas coughed and gestured at Selphie with his head.

"What are you talking about? A weapon?"

"...Oops."

"You'll betcha 'Oops'. Forget what she said, Selphie, and just ignore her."

"No, seriously. What the heck are you on about?"

"What is who on about?" asked Wakka, walking in with Tidus.

Roxas sighed. "Way to go, sis. We may as well come clean with you. How do we explain this?"

"Don't even think about it! Everyone's freaked out enough already, with being sucked onto a new world through the Secret Place, forced to participate in these shitty shows, and the risk of being killed."

Selphie, Wakka and Tidus exchanged glances, as Roxas brushed a hand through his hair and sighed again.

"Look-"

"LALALALALALALALALA! I'M NOT LETTING YOU TELL THEM! LALALALALALALALALA!"

Roxas resolved to let the matter drop, and just walked out of the room. They didn't need to know anyway, because they had too much to do in order to survive this ordeal. Right on cue, Giouio's voice came down through the PA. It was a sweet voice, and in any other situation the occupants of the bunk would have said she seemed like a nice woman. However, she was just as sick in the head as Larry the Dick.

_"Red and Green teams are to report to the GamesMaster set. A new challenge is beginning."_

"God, what will we have to do now?" asked Serena, standing up. She walked through the now open door, into the hallway.

When the group reached the set where it would be shot, they stopped in surprise.

"Oh, my God. I AM NOT DOING THAT." said Selphie.

"No way! Nope, nein, nyet, non, no, iiya, ne, nay! Screw this!" said Xolas, looking at the way it had been set up.

The arena had been set up like a bungee jumping ring, with a ball pit at the bottom. There were eight crossbeams across the ceiling, each with two cords on them. It was obvious that it was a team activity.

"I can't do this. I-" Landusoi began to sway on the spot, with a hand clamped over his mouth. "I think I'm gonna puke."

"You haven't even eaten anything today." said Zoe.

Some of the Red team's participants looked similarly fazed. Tom was very pale, looking upwards. It was at least eighty metres up.

Redmond was anxiously gazing at the floor, thinking that if the cord snapped he would plummet through it and into oblivion.

Larry appeared onscreen, and began his lame introduction to the show.

_"Hi, I'm Larry, and this is _GamesMaster_! Today our volunteers-"_

"Prisoners, more like!" yelled Xolas.

_"... Will be bungee jumping for points!"_

The rules replaced Larry's ugly mug on the screen, for the captives and people at home. Roxas read them aloud to his team.

_"1: There are two colours of balls in the pool. The team will bungee jump from the bars and grab one or more balls from the pool. 2: Each is marked with a number and a plus or minus. If it is a plus, they will gain that amount of points. If it is a minus, they will lose that many points. 3: If a participant grabs a ball of the other team's colour, the team will lose as many points is marked on it, regardless whether is it a minus or not. The team with the most points wins. The prize is a life regained."_

"This might actually be fun." said Emmeleine. Xolas looked at her.

"Are you nuts?"

"Gread leat."

"Did she just swear at me? Did you just swear at me?"

"Aghaidh maraigh tú féin."

"Erm, zuh?"

"I said 'Get lost', and then I said 'Go kill yourself'." snapped Emmeleine, tiring of Xolas' pandering.

"I already did that once, and there is no way I am going to the Void again." said Xolas, under her breath.

The teams prepared for their new and equally sick-in-the-head challenge.

**X**

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_Sara repeatedly hit herself in the forehead with her hand, inwardly screaming.  
_

"HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?!" _she thought, wanting to just curl up in bed and sleep until everything melted away. But that wasn't going to happen. _

"WHY THE HELL WEREN'T WE MORE CAREFUL?! HOW AM I MEANT TO TELL MY PARENTS?!"

_Right on cue, Sara's mother - Atlanshia - opened her door and walked right in. In a moment, she had absorbed everything, the tears running down her daughter's face, the pregnancy test in Sara's hand and the 'YES' written on it in big, pink letters._

_"Sara, what are you doing?" she asked, giving Sara a moment to explain herself. But her daughter just looked like a deer in the headlights, caught out in what she believed was the worst thing that had ever happened. Right then she had no idea how happy the twins would make her and Salo._

_"Mum, I'm so scared! This stick thingy says I'm pregnant!" she said, throwing it into her bedroom bin and sitting on her bed. "What am I meant to do?!"_

_Atlanshia sat down next to Sara, a little shocked about the whole thing, but trying to be comforting._

_"Well," she said, trying to remain calm on Sara's behalf. "Is it possible that you are?"_

_"Please, stop yelling!" cried Sara. She sobbed loudly, covering her face with her hands._

_"I'm not yelling, I'm trying to help. So, could you be?"_

_Sara nodded. _

_"Okay, so we can assume you're pregnant. First thing, we tell your father."_

_"No!"_

_"Well, he's gonna notice. Better to say something than let him notice, right? If you want, I'll tell him. Then you need to tell Salo."_

_"I can't, he'll be so freaked out!" said Sara, leaning on Atlanshia's shoulder. _

_She stroked Sara's hair. "You didn't do this on your own, he has a right to know. I know Salo well, and if you're afraid he'll just leave you, he won't."_

_"I know, I just don't want to scare him."_

_"Sara, this will terrify him. But a problem shared is a problem halved. You know there are other options..."_

_"I know all about them, but I can't imagine doing that."_

_"Okay, so you're keeping the baby. Go and find Salo, and tell him right away. I'll tell your father."_

_Sara stood up, walking out of her room and the house, to find Salo at his normal hangout._

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

**X**

End of chapter! For those who don't know, Emmeleine was speaking in Gaelic, one of Ireland's languages. I know a few phrases, with Irish ancestors and all. What I may her say may not make sense in Gaelic, because I put it in the order the words would be if it was in English. Oh, well.

Next time: Sora and Sola go to Covington, Suzume is questioned by her parents, and the teams are bungee jumping for plastic balls. (That sounds so wrong! XD)

SkyLandOcean


	16. Sky, Sun, Princess, Peaceful

**SORRY EVERYONE! I APOLOGISE FOR THE WAIT! PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!**

Hello and welcome! I can never think of anything to say up here. Hmm, how about a joke? What does Doctor Who have with his pizza? Dalek bread. XD That's so lame, but I think it's funny.

**X**

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_"Salo." said Sara, walking up to her boyfriend and his buddies. _

_"Hey, sweetie." he said. "I thought you had homework to do." He wrapped an arm around her waist._

_"I haven't finished it, but something more important has arisen. I need to talk to you." Sara glanced at his friends. "In private."_

_Salo worried for a second that she might be breaking off their relationship, but excused himself and walked over to the other side of the road with her. Sara sat down on a bench and motioned for him to sit next to her._

"Oh God, I'm getting dumped." _he thought. _"Even when compared to the other crap I've been through, I don't think I'll be able to handle this."

_He sat next to her, and noted her discomfort. _

_"Is it something major?" asked Salo, feeling a knot forming in his stomach._

_Sara could only nod silently._

_"That can only mean one thing." he said. "You're breaking up with me, aren't you?"_

_She shook her head furiously. "No, no, no, no, no! I need you now more than ever." Sara took his hand. Salo noticed that hers was clammy with sweat._

_Over the road, Salo's friends watched with interest. _

_"What are they talking about?" said Mitch, looking at Paolo. _

_"No idea. I wish I could lip read."_

_Sara took a ragged breath. "I'm pregnant."_

_"Whaaat?!" said Salo, visibly freaking. He paled, and gulped several times as though he was choking. "Y-you can't be!"_

_"I am. I have never been more scared in my life." she said, sobbing again. She threw her arms around Salo, who returned the hug, though still in shock._

_"I'm pretty frightened, too." he answered. _

_"What will I do?!" cried Sara._

_"You mean what will WE do. You didn't make this baby on your own."_

_"So, we're together on this?" she asked, pulling back to look at him._

_He nodded. "Sara, why wouldn't we be together on this? I love you."_

_Sara smiled for the first time that day._

_"In fact," he continued, making the biggest decision of his life "I want to be together with you on everything. I think that when the baby is a year old, we should get married."_

_"What?"_

_"Yeah, so we'd actually be a family. You, me, and our child. What do you think?"_

"Sara Katamori... I like the sound of that."

_"Yes. Let's get married." she said, hugging Salo again._

_X_

_That evening, Sara, Salo and their parents were sat in the Katamori living room, discussing their options._

_"You two know that termination is your best option, right?" asked Tyna Katamori, Salo's mother. _

_Salo took Sara's hand. "We don't want to do that. Our child shouldn't pay for what we did." _

_Sara nodded. "We're keeping the baby."_

_"Have you considered adoption?" asked Sara's father, Relity. _

_"That's a no, as well. We both want to raise our baby."_

_So far, neither Salo nor Sara had referred to the unborn child as an 'it'._

_"So, all we have left is you two raising it."_

_"Yes. We want to get through this together." said Salo. He looked at Sara as he dropped the bombshell. "Which is why Sara and I want to get married."_

_"Whaaat?" asked Tyna. "But you're too young!"_

_"Not now, when we're nineteen. If we're going to raise this baby properly, we have to have a secure connection to one another." said Sara._

_Relity rubbed his forehead. "Look, you two have done some pretty stupid things. You jumped off that bridge together and almost got yourselves run over by that milk truck."_

_"Don't forget Salo's little disappearing act." added his father, Wittir. _

_"Yeah, and now you two have gone and gotten into this mess. You don't need to get married."_

_"Well, we want to be together forever. What better opportunity than now?" said Sara._

_"When you're not pregnant, that's when!" cried Relity. Sara shrunk back a bit. Atlanshia put a hand on her husband's arm._

_"They're scared and confused. They don't know what they're on about." she turned to the teens. "Why don't we discuss marriage at a later date? Right now we need to work out what's happening with the baby. We still haven't considered living arrangements. Sara, are you going to drop out of school?"_

_"No way! I'm staying for as long as I can!" she said._

_"Living arrangements?" asked Salo._

_"Yes, if you two are going to remain in school, and go on to further studies, we need a system. When the child's born, you're going to need support and a place for the baby to live. Maybe your parents could look after it one week, and we could take it the next."_

_"I don't want our child passed around like a parcel at a birthday party. I've been saving up for a car, we could use that money for rent on an apartment." said Salo._

_"You'd have to halt your education. Why not just go with our plan for a year or two, and then when you've saved up enough money to buy a place, you move out and then get married?"_

_"That does sound a lot more appealing." said Sara. "Oh, I hate this situation!"_

_"Well, you shouldn't have gotten into it in the first place!" shouted Relity._

_"Jeez, you're going to pop a vessel." said Salo, under his breath. "We didn't plan for this."_

_"Yeah, it wasn't like I actually WANTED to go through immense pain for nine whole months!" _

_"What kind of teenager just thinks one day that pissing their parents off is fun, and that they should go get their girlfriend pregnant? Huh? Not me! Our situation is crap, yes, but the baby is ours and we're going to love him or her a lot! Screw anyone who says we can't do this!" added Salo._

_"Salo! Language!" cried Tyna._

_"Mum, we're in this situation because I'm doing things that are a lot worse than swearing."_

_She blushed and looked away, not wanting to think of that._

_"I'm going for a walk." said Sara, getting up and heading out of the front door. Salo followed her._

_Outside, they wandered around for a while. They had been mostly silent, but Salo spoke when they stepped down onto the beach._

_"Sara," he said, looking at her "This is really bad."_

_"I know." she said. "I can't do this. I'm so scared. What if I'm a bad mother, or something goes wrong? I'm afraid of needles, and now I find out that in about seven and a half months I'm gonna be squeezing out a body the size of a watermelon!"_

_"Don't worry, I'm here with you. If my life has taught me anything, it's that going with the flow is a lot less stressful than fighting. We can, we WILL survive this. We'll be the best parents ever, we'll get married, we'll have a nice house, I'll become a journalist, you'll be a teacher, and we'll live happily ever after in our own personal paradise."_

_"...Sounds like an ad for a lifestyle village."_

_Salo laughed. "Yeah, we'll be on the posters and stuff. 'Sara loves to teach at Brookvilla High. Salo loves to read the Brookvilla news bulletin. Sora loves to play on Brookvilla beach. Sola loves to shop at Centro Brookvilla'."_

_"Sora and Sola. Hmm, I like that." said Sara. "If our baby's a little bundle of boy, we should call him Sora. And if our baby's a little gift of girl, we should name her Sola."_

_"Sky and sun. That's what they mean. Sora is Japanese for sky, Sola is derived from the Norse word 'Sol', meaning sun."_

_"We're going to be one hell of a family. Imagine all our name meanings together. Sky, sun, princess and..."_

_"Peaceful."_

_"Sky, sun, princess, peaceful. We should make that into a bedtime story. A special one, which our baby can remember when he or she grows up."_

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

**X**

It was a Saturday, and the Katamori twins were hanging around in their rooms.

Sola sat on her bed, clicking her fingers and nodding her head to the music from her iPod. She could forget all her troubles while it played, her friend's disappearances, her inevitable return to school, and the Keyblade. Sola could truly relax as the song finished. Sighing, she jerked on the cord, yanking her earphones out. Wrapping them around the silver device, she set it down on her speakers to recharge it.

Looking quickly around her room, Sola rested her eyes on a pictureframe. Between the glass and wooden backing was an aged picture, of her father and mother, when they were but thirteen years old. They were sat on the beach, which wasn't too far a walk from the house, with arms around eachother. They both wore wide smiles, and looked very happy. Sola knew that Sara had very little happiness in recent years, but was brave enough to raise two children on her own, with little assistance.

It was then that Sara opened Sola's door.

"Hey sweetie."

"Hi, Mum. What is it?"

"Nothing." answered Sara, shaking her head with a slight smile. She shut the door, and Sola heard her walk back down the stairs. The girl sighed again, and laid on her bed.

In Sora's room, he was looking out through the window. Knelt on his bed, he gazed at the surging ocean, as it flowed over the sand, only to retreat again. He really wanted to go out there, but couldn't do it. No one knew he was back, for one thing, and the other was that he couldn't wear a hoodie in the water.

Sola entered his room, and said that she was going out. Sora reminded her to wear her jacket, and keep the hood up.

"I don't need to. I'm turning up again."

The elder twin raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure? I want to turn up with you. Why don't you wait until Monday, when Mum can speak to the principal and tell everyone we're back?"

Sola sighed. "I guess I will wait. It's just so frustrating, you know? Being here, in the house, while people think you're dead and I'm a runaway. It's painful."

"The thing I'm most afraid of is the commotion it'll cause. I know it sounds terrible, but I sometimes wish I didn't have to go back again."

"Same. Do you wanna play a board game, or watch TV or something?"

"I have nothing better to do, I've been sat here all morning."

"Oh, actually, do you want to go to Covington? It's only a half hour walk."

Sora recalled the last time they had been there. "Was it ten years ago? We were walking Colin with Dad."

"Yeah, I remember. He told us about the promotion he would get if he finished his report on Covington in time. He had our picture that we drew put in the newspaper." Sola smiled, remembering the pictures they had drawn. In crayon, the two young twins had drawn a picture of the houses and themselves holding hands with their father, who in turn held Colin's leash.

"I wish he'd never finished that report. We bought this house with the extra money he earned, and then he was killed on the job. It sometimes feels like this home was purchased with blood money."

"I miss Dad a lot. Well, whining won't fix anything."

"Yeah, we've gotta try and think positive. So, Covington?"

"Okay, let's go."

**X**

"Mum, Dad, I'm going out!" cried Suzume, as she walked down the stairs. She checked her pocket to ensure she had her housekeys and phone. Her mother blocked her off in the hallway.

"Where are you going? I'll drive you." she asked, folding her arms.

"No, thanks. I'm gonna walk."

"No, you're not. Where are you going?" said her father, his voice coming from the kitchen.

Suzume sighed, shrugging. "Just for a walk. Get some fresh air, go to the park. You know, stuff, places."

"It isn't healthy for you to be outside like that. Mr Drarb said so." Mr. Drarb was her pychologist, though to Suzume he was more of a Mr. Drab.

"Oh, and I guess staying in one room all day listening to rainforests and oceans is."

Her mother ignored her comment. "There are teen bicycle gangs hanging out around the park, and I'm not letting you go alone."

"I never said I was going on my own. Can I PLEASE go now?" begged the azure haired girl, starting to get annoyed. She had virtually no life outside the house.

"Who's going with you?"

Suzume rolled her eyes. "Don't you watch the news? The point is, my friend is going with me, he's waiting at a bus stop on the corner and I don't wanna make him wait too long. Can I go now?"

Her father walked into the room. "'He'? You're not going out with a boy. We haven't even met him."

"Yes, you have!"

"Okay, you can go. But we want to see him when you get back. Have you got your phone?" said Suzume's mother, after some consideration.

"Yes."

"Okay, but be back in two hours."

"Yes! Okay, see you then!" Suzume opened the door, shut it behind her, and bounded out into the streets. She briskly walked to the bus stop at the end of the road, where Ienzo was waiting patiently.

He raised his head to meet her eyes. "Hey Suzume."

"Hey! Sorry to keep you waiting, my parents were being a little reluctant to let me walk the streets in broad daylight."

"It's okay. I could have waited much longer, and you're entitled to it anyway."

Suzume giggled, and began to walk by his side.

**X**

Every team member now stood along one of the crossbeams, beside a member of the Red team. Landusoi was terrified, along with many members of Red, and Selphie. Emmeleine was talking to Keye to try and calm her down, but the young girl was sat down, trying not to puke.

Xolas had goosebumps, but knew that she could pull this off. Roxas was pretty much the only person who wasn't swaying on his feet.

Larry yelled out for them to jump, and Roxas tossed himself over the edge. The air rushed past him as he reached out his arms. He grabbed a ball from the pool, when the cord retracted and pulled him back up. Roxas put it into a slot on the underside of the crossbeam, before falling back again.

_"Two points for Green!"_

Landusoi just stood there, trying not to look down. His legs felt like jelly, as he stared at the big screen showing Larry the Dick. If only he was as smart as his elder brothers, as bravehearted as the Keybearers, or as practical as his Girl Scout sisters. There was nothing special about him, nothing that could help at the moment. He was good with a microphone, his decent musical ability, but a song wouldn't save his life.

Serena took a deep breath and leapt from the crossbeam. Her hair flowed behind her like a pink and silver river of silk, getting slightly tangled from the velocity at which she was travelling. Not far behind was her older sister, Zoe, who had little fear of jumping over the edge of the high up beam. They both grabbed a ball, and slotted it into the girder.

_"An additional four points to Green!"_

"Yes!" cried Zoe, pumping a fist in the rushing air as she began to fall.

Emmeleine grunted in anger. Why did her team get all the wimpy kids? If her original team was there, there would be no problem. It was just too bad that Blaine had drowned, Fralin had been deleted, Ron had fallen off the wall, Jamesio had gotten tangled in his bungee cord and choked to death, Wythe had been strangled by an angry member of the opposite team, and both Yvonne and Quincy had tried to kill Larry but wound up deleted as a punishment.

Frustrated, she grabbed two balls up and tossed them at her petrified team members. Tom was hit in the side of the head, losing his balance. He tripped over the edge. The Gaelic girl threw the other at Keye, who was knocked backwards. The twelve year old's stomach lurched as she fell.

It took a fews falls and bounces for the two Red teammates to regain their bearings and start participating. After a few more tossed balls, all of Red were collecting. Their points racked up quickly.

Landusoi finally jumped, assuring himself that the cord would save him. He didn't want to lose this challenge, as Red was ahead of Green already.

Roxas saw the amount of points Red now had, twenty against their six. He had no choice, and decided to use some of his power to "assist" his team. Roxas chose to use Stop magic on the Red team, and just let them fall in the positions they had at the time, preventing them from picking up balls. It was a bit risky, but if he only used it for a couple of seconds as they approached the end of the cord, he could get away with it.

As Emmeleine reached the bottom, arm outstretched to pick one up, Roxas whispered the spell under his breath. She immediately froze, and couldn't grab the ball.

_"What? Why can't I move?!"_

_"Ooh, and Emmeleine makes a grab, but is unable to pick up a ball!"_

Roxas chortled, and then made a dive. He scooped up three green balls, and placed them into the slot, gaining four points after the subtraction of two.

"Yes, now we're catching up!"

_"Roxas earns an additional four points for Green!"_

He then saw Peggy making a grab for points, and cast the spell again. Peggy too was taken aback by his sudden inability to move.

Xolas realised what Roxas was doing, and cracked a smile. She began casting it as well, to ensure that Green could pull ahead.

Luckily, no one noticed except the members of the Red team, who feebly tried to keep up. Green amassed points on a huge scale, and by the time the cords were too weak to pull the players back to the crossbeam, Red had lost.

Emmeleine sighed and said: "You're all pathetic! If a bunch of losers can beat us, then what does that make us?!"

"Bigger losers?" asked Tim, his arms and legs hanging down from the position the belt held him in.

"You are, anyway."

Tim just snorted at her lame comeback, but decided not to drag out the matter. If he was smacked around the head, it might make his dizziness worse.

_"It seems that Green has won this challenge! That brings the scoreboard to an even amount of two victories each! Who will win next? Find out next time, on _GamesMaster!"

"_Okay, get yourselves down." _said Giouio, replacing Larry on the screen.

"Er, how?" asked Kretowicz, looking at how high they were. The cords were made of elastic, and extremely stretchy, but stopped thirty metres above the ground when in a resting position.

_"You figure it out."_

"Bitch." said Xolas. She swung on her cord to face Roxas. "Any ideas?"

Roxas put his hand to his chin, but due to the sudden change in the size of the area his body took up, the Key of Destiny acidentally tipped upside down. His younger sister giggled.

"Nope." he said, righting himself again.

"Dammit." Xolas looked at Emmeleine, who had twisted out of her harness, and leapt into the ball pool. Her team members did the same. Keye sort of grunted when she landed.

"Let's do that." said Serena, wriggling to loosen herself. All the Green team landed within eight seconds.

"Oof!"

"Ugh!"

"Eek!" cried Zoe, as the wind was knocked out of her upon landing.

"Zuhnk!" was the noise Landusoi made, falling onto his back.

"Egh!"

"Blech!"

"Fee!"

"Doof!"

All sixteen people walked back to their appropriate bunks, legs tottering with each step. Selphie tripped several times, but managed to regain her balance and stay on her feet. Serena wasn't so lucky, and decided to crawl and reduce the risk of falling over.

"I'm lucky I didn't puke." said Landusoi, green in the face. "One more bounce and there'd have been a quarantine over the ball pool."

"Yuck." said Roxas, running a hand through his hair. It just didn't feel right when it was all wavy. The group entered the bunk, and Wakka switched on the lights. Serena leant on her older sister for support, and managed to make it to her bed before tripping again. She fell upon the mattress, glad that she wasn't suspended midair or stood up. Lying down was A-Okay.

"That was the worst challenge yet." said Xolas, slumping to the ground and crossing her legs. Her head was spinning.

"I'm more dizzy than an addict on a merry-go-round." said Tidus, and everyone laughed.

Landusoi walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and pulled out some ice. He pressed it to his forehead, in an effort to calm down the migraine swelling inside his skull. He often got them, and this was his way of coping before they escalated. The ice began to slowly melt, and the water became lukewarm as it ran down his face. It wasn't uncommon that the ache would last for up to two days, like his mother often found was the case with her own migraines, which she had almost constantly.

"I'm gonna go lay down." he said, and went into the boy's sleeping area.

"Are you having another migraine?" asked Zoe, looking at her little brother. He nodded.

"It was probably everything flashing past when I was bouncing on that cord. I'm just glad I'm not epileptic." Landusoi laid on the bed, leaving the bored occupants to their own thoughts.

_"God, I hope we get out of here soon. Not only am I worn out, but I really want to see Lixnus again. It's been ages since I've seen him, days! I've been with him all the time, since the moment we met, except when I was in the Infinity Void, of course. I wonder where he is right now?"_

_"Need... to... BLITZ!" _ thought Tidus, hoping that at least one challenge would involve his favourite sport.

_"I want to go home! I wanna go and sleep in my own bed, and not have to respond to this psycho moron jerkwad's every sick little challenge!"_

_"Christ, why does my head hurt like this? Please, someone come and help us!"_

_"I want food, and sleep, and hairgel! This is horrible, it's like someone's put a mop on my scalp." _ Roxas mentally whinged about the condition of his hair, being used to it away from his eyes and neatly spiked up, rather than flopping down.

Serena looked at the ceiling above her head, which seemed to be slowly rotating. Her stormy blue-grey eyes struggled to focus upon it. _"Maybe if I tap my heels together and chant that there's no place like home, I'll wake up in my own bed. Then again, I might wind up in Kansas. That would be so COOL!"_

Zoe rubbed her temples, in a vain effort to lessen her dizziness. There wasn't much she could do about it, but at least it felt like it would help for a few moments. _"There's no place like home. There's no place like home. I think I might puke. I think I might puke." _ The oldest of the Aomori girls clapped her hands over her mouth, and ran into the girl's bathroom. Everyone tried hard to ignore her coughing and choking noises, as she slammed the door shut behind her.

**X**

Sora and Sola walked through Covington, their faces obscured by hoods. It wasn't safe to show who they were, especially in such a small community. Someone was bound to have seen their pictures on the news.

Covington was a fishing village, with a population of four hundred. There were small shops set up, selling your basic foodstuffs like fruit and vegetables, lining the streets. A few people roamed the lonely place, seeming not to notice the two youths.

"This is such a pretty place." sighed Sola, looking out at the ocean. She glanced it past the small church, which had been constructed one thousand years before, out of the finest slabs of stone. They had travelled several miles from the hills on the other side of the island, carried on the backs of young men and women.

"Yeah." answered Sora, remembering the last thing his father had said before boarding the plane to Satswayne, his final flight.

_"Sora, you look after your little sister. Someday, she might really need you. Us Katamoris have to stick together, because if you don't have family, you don't have a thing."_

"It's true." said Sora, absentmindedly.

"What is?"

"That if you don't have family, you don't have a thing."

"Oh, you're quoting Dad. Yeah, that's true. When you were gone, I had Mum and Klinia, Drake, Uncle Enber, Auntie Gikan and Nanna. But it wasn't the same without you. I guess it's because we've alway been so close."

"Hmm. Should we head back now? It's getting late." Sora looked at his watch, which read four thirty.

"Yeah." The two turned around and headed back to their home.

**X**

Ares and Zexion swam in circles, trying to find a way to Atlantica, the capital city of the underwater realm. Seeing some purple coral, Ares reminded herself to buy some more hairdye. Axel had gone on to search the caves and shipwreck, instructing the two to go into the city and look there.

"I've been here before, and I know the way there is around here somewhere." said Zexion, using the powerful muscles in his black tail to remain upright. Ares was having a little trouble, but had a relatively good handle on things, though she kept sinking. Both of the Organization members had shed their cloaks and tossed them through a portal, instead wearing the black shirts that they always sported beneath.

"Find it, then. Ugh, this is so undignified." said the blonde girl, as she tipped upside down. The two guns; hidden beneath her shirt, slipped from their holsters momentarily, while she righted herself.

"You do realise that those won't work underwater. There's too much drag on the bullet."

Ares snapped at him. "I'm not an idiot, I know that. They just make me feel safer."

Zexion shrugged. "Even if they do screw all to protect you? Here." He handed her a small steel dagger, just in case they got into a bit of a scrap. He had bought it a couple of weeks before Roxas and the gang went missing.

"Thanks." she said, tucking it in between her Glocks on her back.

"Now, where the hell is that damn city? Last time I was here, we were near the gates."

"How do we get to them?" asked Ares, looking around. She spied a young mermaid nearby, who was sat combing her hair. "Let's ask her, she might know. She might even have seen them."

Zexion shrugged. "It's better than wandering around like morons." They both swam up to her, and she looked up at them with shocking green eyes.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely, putting her comb away.

"Maybe. Do you know the way to the palace?" asked Ares "We're kinda lost."

The mermaid giggled, brushing some chestnut hair away from her eyes. "I'm guessing you two aren't from these parts."

"No, we're not. We're from a place far away."

"Like Disufice?"

"...Yeah, we're from Disufice." answered Zexion, treading carefully.

The girl giggled again. "You're humans, aren't you? My half sister, Coral, ran into some humans who made up a place called a Disufice. You're from the surface."

"Yeah, you got us. Can you please tell us the way to the palace?"

"I'll take you." she answered. "The name's Nereida, by the way."

"We're Ares James and-"

Zexion cut her off, to make sure she wouldn't tell her his real name. As always, there was the risk of her knowing about the Organization. "And Saecam Maehara."

"Nice to meetcha. This way." said Nereida, cheerfully.

As she led them through gorges brimming with sea creatures, ranging from plankton to sharks, she asked them a lot of questions.

"So, how old are you guys, anyway? I'm a nine year old."

"We're both sixteen. Why were you out here on your own, if you're only nine? Isn't it dangerous?" asked Zexion.

"Ha, danger is just a bunch of rubbish made up by adults to stop me from doing what I want to. It's about keeping me indoors and making me recite poetry all day, like my half sister. It just isn't my thing."

"I can understand that, but I'd rather be inside than attacked by sharks and stuff."

"Yeah, I personally wouldv'e liked to stay underground than fight the Phantoms, but what canya do?"

"So, what brings you two to Atlantica?" asked Nereida, pulling a face at a nearby octopus. She giggled as it swam away.

"We're looking for some people."

"What are their names? I'd be glad to help you guys out."

"We're not sure if we should tell you."

"Oh, please! Spare me that rubbish. Are you like the Mafia, or the Organization or something?" Nereida turned to face them.

Zexion and Ares exchanged worried glances, as she said the second choice.

"No way! You're not from the Organization, are you?"

Zexion finally nodded. "Please don't say anything. We're looking for Roxas and Xolas, who disappeared along with several other people. We were hoping you may have seen them."

"Sweet! I'm talking to Nobodies!"

"A Nobody. Ares is a human."

"I was let into the Organization as a secret member, because Zexion had brought me to the top-secret hideout, and they made me join to ensure I wouldn't get up to anything."

"Awesome!" said Nereida, continuing to swim. "Just don't say nothing to Coral, she'd freak the hell out."

The two followed the young girl for several minutes, as she jammered away about anything and everything.

"...and of course, I'm not the only one in my family who can't sing. Coral can't either, but there are a few who can. My mum can sing, and so can Coral's dad, but neither of us have that talent. I'm more of a doll collector, I even make my own."

"Cool. I used to have dolls when I was little." said Ares, struggling to comprehend all that the child had said. It had all been in one big breath.

"Really? I didn't see you as a doll person." said Zexion.

"Yeah, I had a few. There were more than you could count on five hands."

"Phew, I always saw you as a more outdoorsy type."

"Say a word about them and you die." answered Ares, making a motion across her throat with her fingers.

Zexion put a hand up to his neck and pretended to gasp for air. "I wonder what Axel would have to say about it."

"Dare, and you die."

Finally, they reached the city. It glowed with a beautiful light, outshining anything. Fish swam past, along with merfolk, busily going about their lives, which amazed the two landlubbers. They were just like people on the surface, trading money for food and luxuries, although down here the produce was slightly different.

"Okay, so if your friends are here, they'll be in the marketplace."

The two groaned. It didn't look like they'd find them anytime soon, not in the crowd. But, they had an advantage. They could swim above the merfolk, to see if they spied blond hair anywhere.

**X**

That's the end of the chapter! I hit some major writer's block, but I overcame it.

Next time: We get Eamon's point of view, Ienzo gets some group counselling, and someone speaks in riddles.

**SORRY!**

Roger, wilco and out!


	17. Stop Kicking Me!

Happy Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa!

Here's to another year of celebrating with the big, happy family that is the human race. GROUP HUG!

**X**

Ienzo walked Suzume back home, the way he knew he should. She'd appreciate it, and he could spend some more time with her if he did. He wanted to be near her as often as possible, seeing as he had missed three years of time with her.

He was nervous, facing her parents. Suzume had told him how they wanted to see the guy who she had gone out with, but hadn't seen the news report.

"Don't worry. It'll be okay." she said, as they began to walk up her footpath. Sweet smelling marigolds lined the small path, but Ienzo took no notice as he stressed about the entire affair. His stomach felt like it was sinking, as though it was in a huge knot which tightened with every step.

Suzume stepped forward, rapping her knuckles against the door. Ienzo twiddled his thumbs, head down.

_"Just pretend they're students. Pretend they're listeners at a lecture."_

He summoned up all his courage, as Suzume's mum opened the door. Ienzo took a deep breath, and introduced himself to her, for the second time ever.

"Hello, Mrs. Niigata. I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm Ienzo Aomori. The 'pyscho-scientist' guy." he said, holding out a hand for her to shake.

She was taken aback for a second, but shook his hand. The entire time, Mrs. Niigata looked like she'd seen a ghost. Technically, she had.

"I told you you'd met him!" said Suzume, beaming.

"_That'll show them who knows what. I know more about my own mind than any shrink, thank you very much._"

"Roke? Can you come here please?" she called, into the house.

"Coming." Suzume's father appeared in the doorway. Ienzo said hello to him, too. He knew they would want an explanation, and he had one all cooked up.

**X**

"I was a moron." said Ienzo, now sat in the living room with Suzume, her parents and her psychologist, Mister Drarb.

"Why do you classify yourself that way?" asked Mister Drarb. This was now a double session, for both Suzume and Ienzo. He would not charge for it, because he was a nice guy and was also curious as to the workings of the boy's mind.

"Because I failed to see what I had right in front of me. I had to leave and change it, and hurt a lot of people, Suzume included. I don't know what was wrong with me, but at least removing myself from my family and friends gave me a chance to recover my issues and think clearly."

"So, you see positives in leaving, but have concerns for other people's feelings too?"

"Yeah. If I hadn't gone, my family and friends would always know where I was. That would be locked in my room. But, even though no one knew where I was for three years, I had a chance to find my standing. It would have still hurt them if I remained, because they would have had to see me waste even further away, but now I'm normal again and everyone's happy to see me. Even though I hurt so many feelings and scared so many people, I think my choice was a good one."

"...You don't regret it?" asked Suzume.

"Of course I do. Suzy, I missed everyone, especially you, so much. Every day hurt like a knife stabbing me in the heart. But if I hadn't left, I would have gone on ignoring the help that was offered to me, in the form of the school counsellor, my friends, my family, and stayed in my room. The only way I could free myself was to go and find a new life, and look back on my old one as a story that happened to someone else. That was the only way I could recover. My plan was originally to leave and never come back, but then I met all these people. My time with them made me see differently, and now I've returned with confidence in my mental and emotional stability, and happiness to be myself."

"Who were these people?" asked Suzume's mother. The others in the room looked to the black haired teen for his answer.

"You could say they're travellers."

"Backpackers?"

"Not really. I mean, yes. Sort of. I worked in a fast food place under a false name."

"What name was that?"

"Well, I worked all over the place. I worked in twelve different places, under several names. I called myself Saecam Maehara, Itsuru Nichols, and a few others I've forgotten."

"Saecam Maehara. That's an interesting choice. Okay, let's wrap this up. I think we all have a much clearer picture on the situation."

Everyone stood, and Ienzo once again apologised for his three year absence.

"It's alright, as long as you recovered." said Suzume, giving him a hug.

**X**

Eamon still hung out at the skatepark, where he had last seen Sola. It had occured to him that she might return there at some point, and he wanted to greet her.

No matter how much Sola despised him, he had quite opposite feelings for her. They weren't romantic feelings, but she felt like family to him, like a close cousin or stepsister.

He had no idea why, but he seemed to desire her attention. That was what resulted in the jerkiness and paper throwing.

Though he had never physically hurt anyone, he was sure that the first time he would was going to be to protect Sola Katamori. She had some sort of childlike innocence, but she also had a brutal tongue in her head. Her comments were impulsive, sometimes disrupting the class. But she did have some cherubic habits, like twirling a bunch of hair around her index finger when she was thinking, or sticking the tip of her tongue out of the side of her mouth when she was concentrating.

Unlike Selphie, Wakka and Tidus, who had now also disappeared, Eamon harboured very little hope in her showing up alive. Many people had disappeared in the past decade, some for a few days, a few for a couple of years, and some had turned up dead or not at all. This thought made him cringe, and so he rapped upon the underside of his deck for measure.

Nattalee Richards, the girl Sara had been pulled out of class to see, was one example. She was walking to school one minute, and dead the next. You wouldn't know it from looking, but the town they lived in and the cities nearby, Charity and Destiny, were places where anything could happen to you. There was danger in every footstep, and risks that became larger with every metre you walked.

On top of all this were the teen bike gangs. They regularly stopped random teenagers walking to school, held them at knifepoint and robbed them of phones, money and MP3 players.

There were five different gangs now, and Eamon had been offered places in two of them. He had declined, with no wish to harm anyone who didn't deserve it, that is, people who didn't piss him off. Even then the harm he DID dish out was emotional. Physical violence left visible scars, whereas mental damage was more difficult to recover from and left no marks on the victim's flesh. Eamon was kind, in his own special way.

The teen brushed back his wavy black hair with one hand, releasing a sigh from his mouth. There wasn't much that could be done about all this. Teens went missing, some turned up refusing to talk, others wouldn't stop jabbering about things and were institutionalized, some never returned and some were prounounced DIA, and then there were those who were found wounded or worse. Thinking wouldn't help. The clues didn't add up.

Eamon was a jerk, yes, but he had a good logic. He wasn't the top of the class, he didn't know pi to a thousand decimals, but he had a rational mind. He had thought about all this a dozen times over, and he had only one logical solution.

_They're disappearing regularly. They're all friends. They MUST be all together, hiding from authority. Maybe Riku committed a crime? Sora got Kairi pregnant? Sola knew where they were all along and went to join them? She contacted Selphie, Wakka and Tidus? They agreed to meet with them? On the islet? No, the police searched with bloodhounds. In the city? They faked their own deaths? Dammit, I know something's going on! This is the only logical explanation, but no doubt the police have explored these possibilities. _

He was kind of right, in that they were all together. Little did he know, Sora and Sola were sat in their rooms at the moment, Kairi was playing _Halo _on her laptop, and Riku was playing Lego with Rikujou. Selphie, Wakka and Tidus were technically with Sora and Sola, or at least their Nobodies.

Eamon walked down the street, his flame-embellished skateboard beneath his arm. He had been thinking for ages, and all his thoughts led to the same conclusion. It was logical, but he didn't think it was correct.

_Sora would have turned to Sara for help, if Kairi was pregnant. She was only eighteen when she had him and Sola. She would understand. For God's sake, she was married at nineteen!_

The sixteen year old actually felt tears prick his eyes. Why was this happening? He hadn't been close to any of these people, except Sola, and even then she was just an aquaintance.

He sighed again, and quickly flicked the tears away. If Eamon was seen crying, it would seriously damage his reputation. The situation sucked. People all around him were disappearing, some turning up and others not, some emotionally destroyed and others eerily happy.

Eamon decided to wander down to the beach, having nothing better to do. He had wanted to skate, hence the deck, but didn't quite have the heart. The large concrete park only helped remind him of the people who were gone.

He fiddled with the silver piercing in the corner of his mouth, tugged on his brown baseball cap, and placed a pair of sunglasses on his face as he walked down the road to the sandy coast. The sun was shining directly on him, and he didn't want to risk any sunburn or eye damage. The "blind panda" look did not suit Eamon at all. On occasion he saw the odd person sporting it, red rings around the eyes where sunglasses didn't cover, and pitied them. How embarrassing to have a face like that until the red faded. Even after that was gone, the burn may turn into a tan, which would last even longer.

Eamon was unaware of what would happen at the beach that day, but it was something that would have made him run away at the thought. However, he didn't have any idea, and so just kept on walking.

**X**

Sat on the white sands of the Winona Kyle beach, so named for being the last known location of a girl who disappeared fifty years before, Eamon gazed at the ocean.

_"Maybe you did drown. For all I know, you're a hundred metres out, weighted under your rowboats."_

The boy removed his cap for a moment, to run a hand through his hair, as he let out his third sigh in as many minutes.

"Oh!" he cried, lunging forward a bit. There was someone in the water. He looked like Eamon. Exactly.

The boy was wearing brown camo pants, black sunglasses and a brown baseball cap. He sported a dark green shirt, and a tattoo of three intertwined rose stems was plain on his right wrist.

Eamon looked down at his own wrist. He had that tattoo since infancy, since he was found on the step. What were the chances someone dressed like him, with the same tattoo, would be wading out to sea? Fully clothed? The guy must be mad.

Eamon stood up, and walked to a crowd of people who had gathered around at the water's edge. He tried to ask a girl in the group what was happening.

The green haired girl was leant to her friend, talking about what was going on. Eamon tapped her on the shoulder, but she never looked at him. Instead, she looked oddly at her exposed shoulder as though a fly had landed and then flown away.

"Err, excuse me, but what's going on?" asked Eamon.

She ignored him again. He tapped her on the shoulder several times in succession, but she just looked at it again.

Eamon raised his voice slightly, and spoke to everyone.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?"

He got no response at all.

"Is this _Just For Laughs _or something?"

No one jumped out with a camera or anything.

"Am I invisible?"

He heard a high pitched giggle behind him, and whirled around. Stood a few feet behind him was a girl, white hair cascading down over her shoulders. Her deep orange eyes burned like hot coals, fixed on the guy. He looked at her, confusion plain on his features.

"To everyone but me." she said, walking to his side. Her voice was a sweet one, though dark and smoky at the same time.

"Wha? What are you on about?"

"You turned out quite well."

"Say what? You're not answering my question."

"So sharp, too. You won't be strayed from the point."

"That still isn't an answer." said Eamon.

"See?"

"You're answering my questions, not vice versa."

"Blunt, too. Hehe, sharp and blunt, sharp and blunt, life's a contradiction of interest and personality."

"Why are you speaking in riddles?"

She put a hand into the pocket of her black knitted jacket, kept closed by three white buttons. "Maybe you just hear the riddles, because of the contradiction of sharp and blunt. There is no in-between, and so your mind skips along, blissfully unaware that I am talking perfectly normally."

"No, you're nuts. Crazy in the head."

"Maybe it's you who's crazy."

"My dad's a psychologist. I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to make me doubt myself."

"There's your sharp."

"What do you mean, only you can see me?"

"Straight to the point. The sharp point. But also blunt." The girl giggled again.

"You're starting to piss me off."

"Ooh, so open! Thank God for that. Open people are SO much easier to read."

Eamon remained quiet for a moment, to give her a chance to explain what the hell she was on about. His dad had told him about this, the subject would feel inclined to explain, not wishing an awkward silence.

Thankfully, it worked.

"The guy in the water is a projection of you. Hmm, I like that word. Pro-jec-tion." She rolled the word in her mouth a few more times.

Eamon raised his eyebrows. This girl was obviously mental.

"We; that's me and the rest of the animation and pro-jec-tion department at Villetto House, are making this image look like it's you, because we need to remove you from your family."

"What?!"

"My clever animation appears solid, and I have chosen to make it look like you are drowning yourself on purpose. Suicide. Su-i-ciiiiide. Hmm, I like that word too."

Eamon stood, looking at her blankly. This was crap, surely. But then again, no one had noticed him. A practical joke?

"Included in my animation is a blanker, which makes you, the real guy, invisible to everyone save the Villetto family and their servants." She winked, crossing her arms with satisfaction. Eamon would have counted that as flirting, was she not informing him that he was invisible and an animation had been set up, to make it appear as though he was dead.

"No one will ever suspect you're alive."

"I don't believe a word you're saying."

"The same has been applied to me. I'm invisible too."

"Prove it."

She shrugged, and walked to the front of the crowd. "HEY EVERYONE! LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! WOOT!"

No one batted an eyelid. She walked to the green haired girl from before, and gave her a stinging slap across the face.

Eamon cringed. The girl yelped, and put a hand to her face.

"How did that happen?" she asked, as her skin burnt beneath her palm.

"Believe me now?"

How could he not? That girl would have punched her out if she could see her, and someone would have looked at her oddly. It was highly possible that the crowd were all jokers, but no one else looked at her.

"Now, will you come with me?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No. You have the choice of coming freely or me dragging you."

"I'll come freely."

"Alright, then."

The girl turned to walk away, and Eamon followed her for a few steps, before she fell down, clutching her stomach.

"OUCH! STOP KICKING ME!"

"I'm not!"

"Yes, you are! Stop struggling, or I'll use force on you!"

"I'm not bloody struggling!"

"You leave me no choice!" cried the girl. She jumped up, and whipped a small box out of her pocket. The press of a button made it extend into a long, black rod, with two peices of steel sticking out of the end. She whipped Eamon across the stomach with it, and he fell to the floor. She had just electrocuted him and injected a knockout drug into his system.

"Nighty-night." she said. She waved at Eamon as he slipped out of consciousness.

**X**

That's the end of the chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!


	18. Smashy Smash

Okay everyone, I know I haven't updated in ages and left you on a cliffhanger. I'm sorry, SO SORRY. Words cannot express my deepest apologies, and even if these magical, wondiferous words did exist, I wouldn't be surprised if you still didn't forgive me. So, as an apology that I don't expect to be accepted, here is a huge chapter to express my deepest regret for neglecting all of you fine people. This will be the last chapter of "A Sick and Twisted Game" and wrap up most of the as-yet unanswered questions. You'll all probably pass out before you finish reading, because it is really long. But not long enough to make up for my neglect of you.

**X**

The phone rang in the Katamori house, the sound reverberating along the hall. Sora paused his game of Resident Evil 4, and Sola stopped humming along to her iPod. They couldn't risk anyone hearing them, especially their friend's parents.

Sara bounded down the stairs and snatched up the handset, selecting the 'Answer' option.

"Hello, Katamori residence, Sara speaking," she said, leaning against the doorframe, crossing one arm across her body. She had always stood like this when talking on the phone, ever since Salo had called her to ask her out on their first date.

_"Sara? It's Principal Knealy."_

"Oh, hi. I'm not late am I?" She anxiously glanced at the clock.

_"No, don't be ridiculous. You've always been on time." _ Sara smiled, but it was quickly wiped from her face as he spoke again. _ "I have to deliver some unfortunate news."_

She felt her stomach tighten. Sara had heard those words many times. She sat down on a stool at the kitchen counter, unconsciously beginning to chew her thumbnail.

"Okay. What is it?" Sara could barely speak. Ever since Salo's murder the mere mention of bad news was like an ice pick stabbing her through the heart.

_"You have a student named Eamon Gabelo, don't you?"_

"Yes."

_"I'm sorry to tell you that..." _ There was a pause, as though he was finding the right words. Sara bit her lip. _ "Eamon took his own life on Sunday afternoon."_

Sara gasped, dropping the phone. It skittered over to the fridge, but she snatched it back off the floor.

"What? How? Why?"

_"The police are investigating, but he drowned himself in the ocean. There were eight witnesses. He wasn't found, but the police just gave up the search."_

"This is awful." Sara began to pace back and forth, bile rising in her throat.

_"I know. We're calling an emergency assembly this morning. We have to inform the students. Police will be there to explain, but we need to support his classmates. Too much has happened in the past year. We need to stop the cycle before more teenagers suffer."_

Sara nodded, but then realised he couldn't see her. "Yes."

_"Okay. See you soon."_

"Bye." Sara hung up and walked upstairs. How would she break it? The two had never been close to Eamon, but the news would still devastate them.

She opened Sola's door, and asked her to go into Sora's room. Her daughter nodded, recognizing the tone.

Once both the twins were sat on Sora's Bugs Bunny sheets, Sara explained.

"Kids, I don't know what to say. How do you explain something like this? Okay, I'll just come right out with it." Sara paused, taking a breath. "Eamon is missing, presumed dead."

"What?" asked Sola, eyes widening and beginning to water. "No, he can't - it's - no!"

"How?" asked Sora.

"He... drowned himself. On purpose."

"Suicide?"

Sara nodded.

"Why would he do it? Why? This isn't fair! He had everything to live for! Everything!" cried Sola. She grabbed a pillow and screamed loudly into it, using every molecule of air in her body to express her sorrow.

"Why? Oh God, why?!" She cried this into the cushion, sobs breaking up her words. Sora put an arm around her shoulders, which shook violently with her tears.

"It's okay, Sola. We all lose people. It's life," he said, trying to calm her down. He too was freaking out, but he concetrated on consoling her above his own feelings.

Sola raised her face from the pillow, wiping tears from her blue eyes. "What is life? From my point of view, it's pain, sadness and death! What else is there?"

"Happiness, joy and love?" said Sara.

"Sola, you're forgetting. There's always light in the darkness. A tiny bit of hope makes a dark situation worth sticking out."

"Why would someone choose that option? What could be so bad that he saw no other way?"

"I don't know, but the battle with it is over now. Eamon can be happy. Nobodies have an afterlife, so as far as I'm convinced, people do too."

"Kids, I have to go now. I'll be home at four, okay?" said Sara, realising that it had been ten minutes since she got off the phone.

The twins nodded, and Sola sniffled.

Sara left the room, and in a couple of minutes she had driven to work.

"I thought you didn't like him," said Sora.

"I didn't, but it's unfair! People have a lot worse to deal with than whatever was making him sad, and he doesn't even fight?! He just gave up and ran out into the water!"

"You don't know that."

"He was always a quitter."

**X**

Eamon would have to stop being a quitter if he was going to escape this. He awoke in a bedroom, an expensive one at that. All around were beaded lamps and tapestries, and on the floor was an expensive Indian-style rug.

He put his hand on his stomach, where he had been slashed with the girl's poison stungun. He winced as his fingers touched the scratches on his flesh, exposed by his now-torn shirt.

Eamon pulled himself up to take in his surroundings better. The rug on the ground was dark green, like his eyes. The walls had wallpaper of the same colour, and silver plated sconces were in rows along it. They were holding lightbulbs with frosted glass shades. The room was full of old fashioned furniture, made from varnished oak, and there was a full length mirror on a dresser nearby. A fireplace was at the opposite end of the room, a large and soft-looking chair in front of it. It too was a dark green, and stood on four dark oak legs. His skateboard was propped up against it.

Eamon jumped as the large door opened, revealing the girl who had jabbed him with the electrifying weapon. She was now wearing a simple dress, black with white trimming around her waist. There was a large white apron on the front. The skirt reached her ankles, and Eamon could see that she was wearing some simple black shoes beneath it.

"You," said Eamon, looking at her. She drew back slightly as his eyes studied her.

She said nothing.

"Why did you bring me here? What is this place?" he asked.

No answer.

"Tell me where I am!"

"This is good. You're awake."

"No thanks to you. Where the hell have you brought me?"

Once again, she didn't answer the question. She looked at her feet.

"I didn't think we'd get you this time either. I've been sent to all the different worlds, tracking down people who we thought were you, yet you were there all along. That's a major annoyance."

"What are you talking about?"

For once, she answered. She looked up, seeming to be summoning up courage to speak to him.

"Should I start at the beginning? It'll be so much easier to understand, and no doubt you're confused already."

Eamon simply nodded.

"Okay, I'll start with a little history."

**X**

_"Twenty years ago, Albert Villetto married Elizabeth Frasier. Their marriage was a happy one, and about three years in Elizabeth fell pregnant. But she ran away, afraid to let her child be raised here, because there was a war going on._

_"Elizabeth was aided in her escape by her lady's maid and two household servants. Together they fled, leaving the world in a ship. Unfortunately, it burned up in the atmosphere of another world, and the three servants were killed. Elizabeth and her baby were the lone survivors. She wandered around, looking for help, but could find no one to ask._

_"She ended up having the baby on another world, and we can assume that she raised him for at least six months, before leaving him on a doorstep and returning without him._

_"Elizabeth told Albert herself, but jumped off the battlements of the manor that night._

_"Albert sent a group of servants to find the child. Elizabeth hadn't specified a world, and it took several years before anyone found a person who might have been Snowden Villetto. _

_"Albert refused to give up, even until the day of his death. I was sent to the Destiny Islands and saw that you had his jawline and nose. I followed you around, and learned that you were adopted. I set up the whole beach fiasco."_

**X**

"Er, no. No, no, nonono! NO! This is crap! You're trying to tell me that I'm some alien from another planet, and that I'm not human?! Bullcrap!"

"OF COURSE YOU'RE NOT HUMAN IF YOU'RE AN ALIEN FROM ANOTHER PLANET!"

Eamon jumped out of his skin, whirling to face the source of the voice. A man stood behind the girl, heavily clad in armour. A helmet was tucked under his arm and messy brown hair was slicked against his face by sweat.

The girl moved forward a little, obviously intimidated. Everything about him radiated authority, from the intricate carvings on his breastplate to the sword on his hip.

"You shouldn't speak to him like that," she mumbled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"THERE HAS BEEN NO DNA CONFIRMATION YET!" The man threw his fist into her face, causing her to lose her balance and fall against a heavy oak wardrobe. A choked sob escaped her mouth, but she kept quiet other than that and didn't even put her hands to her wound.

"HEY! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Eamon pounced on him so quickly that he had no time to draw his sword. He knocked him to the ground and drove an elbow into the guy's face, breaking his nose with a loud crack.

The snowy haired girl sat against the wardrobe, bewildered. Eamon looked up and saw that four similarly-dressed men had swords at his throat.

"Stand!" ordered one and Eamon put his hands behind his head, slowly rising up. Another swung his sword back to deliver a fatal blow, but found his arm blocked by a man in a white coat.

"There's been confirmation. It's him."

The four guards dropped their weapons and knelt down before Eamon, followed by the guy in the white coat. The first man scrambled to his feet and assumed the same position, quickly followed by the girl.

"Ri-ight," said Eamon, looking at them all. "There's no place like home, there's no place like home."

"Indeed, there is no place like home," came another voice, and the seven people stood up before kneeling in his direction. A well dressed young boy was walking down the hall, his long and elegant strides complemented by the clicking of his heels on the floor. "Finally, you have returned to us."

"And you are...?"

The boy chuckled, signaling for the group to arise. "We haven't met before, but if the DNA is correct, then I'm your younger half brother. My name is Mocy, but I suppose you can call me Moe like my mother did."

Eamon blinked. "Okay, this is like _Narnia _meets _Star Wars _and has a baby named _Eamon Goes To Strange Land Filled With Even Stranger People_."

The boy turned his gaze to the white haired girl, wincing slightly as he noticed the green and purple bruise blossoming on her face.

"Brookly, go and fetch some clothes for Snowden."

"Yes, Master Villetto." She scurried down the hall, not looking back once.

He turned to the man who had hit her. "Farene, I would appreciate it if you could go at least a minute without striking one of the staff."

Farene drew himself up to his full height. "She was being insolent."

"Even so, without people like her we wouldn't be so comfortable. One of these days you'll end up killing her, and then who'll be there to do the chores? If you hit her ONCE more, I'll be forced to make HER the head of guards and make YOU a maid."

Eamon chuckled, liking his half-brother's sense of humour.

Farene shot him a glare from the corner of his eye, but Eamon responded by flipping him off while pretending to scratch his face.

Mocy waved at the four guards. "Continue your rounds. As for you Thei, return to your lab.

The scientist rushed off, but not before bowing to each boy twice.

"Okay, by the look of your clothes and their reaction to you, you're no small fish."

"I don't understand that human phrase, but I'm guessing it's linked to my social status. I'm not a common person," said Mocy, walking to one of the large windows. He dragged a heavy green curtain across and light spilled into the room, flushing every shadow out. "You and I are all that is left of the Villetto legacy."

"What's a Villetto?" Eamon shielded his eyes for a few moments while they adjusted. He couldn't help gaping at the huge green garden filled with fountains and topiary bushes.

"It's our family name. Since the battle in Spiraiviladiel, we are the only two left in existence. Thankfully we're both males, so when either of us marries we will keep our surnames. I'm too young for that yet, and you still have a few years before it's legally allowed. You'd think we could change it, having rule over Phantosmia."

"Uh, what?"

Mocy sighed, gesturing to walk and talk.

He explained everything as they trudged through the large house and out into the garden.

"Wait a sec, we're warmongers?"

Mocy sighed. "Yes, we are. More than that, we're monsters. But I don't want the legacy of our species to be as coldblooded killers."

Mocy walked over to a tree and touched the bark, looking down into a valley. Eamon walked up next to him, and could make out a man walking through the streets with a bell, yelling loudly.

"What's all that about?"

"It's the Revenge virus. Rumour has it that the souls of our dead enemies are cursing us. The saddest part is that we deserve it."

"Because we're essentially the evil dictators?"

Mocy shook his head. "More like the evil dictator's assistant. Dangerous, but we answer to a higher power."

"Who's the higher power?"

"...They're called Heartless. We formed a coalition, but then they began to take more than their fair share. Us Phantoms couldn't do a thing about it, because the Heartless army were producing Elite Heartless Troops at twice the rate we were making drones. We can't say no to their orders, even if they send us on suicidal missions or really difficult tasks. The latest was in Spiraiviladiel, where we were instructed to kill the population and salvage their materials in order to build more ships and generating machines."

Eamon tossed his head, snorting. "Can't you knock them back to last week?"

"We can't travel in time."

"It's a metaphor, it means 'beat the living crap out of them'."

"Oh. No, we can't. The only thing we can do is to slowly bring them down by taking a little extra for ourselves each time until we're getting more than them. Only problem there is that it's going to take decades to surpass their technology. The people who fight for the light are against us, so if we request assistance from them they'll more likely than not butcher us all and burn our homes." Mocy gestured at the town. "Innocent people live here. They have nothing to do with our army, other than the taxes they pay to keep the soldiers clothed. They shouldn't suffer."

"So if we attempt to get outside help, we're screwed. Without outside help, we're screwed."

"Essentially. If only all the Council were here. They know all there is to know about battle strategies, but many members have dissappeared. We've had to assume that the Heartless did it in order to weaken us. They might have other, unknown connections and be using them to help dispose of our wisest, strongest and bravest people."

**X**

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_The babies cooed in their parent's arms, snuggling up against them. Sara and Salo exchanged smiles, as each held their children tightly. They had done this every day after returning from thier studies. They sat in either the Katamori or Hokkaido house; whoever had cared for the twins while they were studying, and held their children for hours on end._

_"How did such a stupid mistake form something so perfect?" asked Salo, as he did each afternoon. He traced his index finger around baby Sola's face, taking in her soft features and memorising them._

_"I don't know. But I'm glad we made that mistake. Because these two are miracles," said Sara. "Just look at their teeny hands!" _

_Sora wrapped his miniature fingers around Sara's pinky, trying to pull it into his mouth. She let him hold on, smiling down into his huge blue eyes. _

_Salo was overwhelmed with happiness at the arrival of the twins. Now three months old, they both had begun to sprout hair and focus on things. _

_"I can't believe I ever doubted that the result of that pregnancy would make me happy."_

_"Same here," said Sara, repositioning Sora so that his head rested on her shoulder. He yawned and gripped at her hair, making Sara smile as she felt the movement of his chin against her shoulder. "They're just so... perfect. More than perfect."_

_Sola giggled, and a string of warm dribble escaped her mouth. It ran down her chin until Salo wiped it off with the sleeve of his shirt. Glancing at the clock, he realised that he and Sara had been captivated by their children for three hours._

_"Whoa, Sara. It's seven. Time for beddy byes." _

_"These two are little sorcerers. They have us under their spell," said Sara, slowly standing up. She heard steady breathing in her ear, and realised that Sora had fallen asleep on her shoulder._

_Salo also rose to his feet, and the young couple walked into the kitchen, where Sara's mother was stood with the TV on._

_"Mum, we're putting the twins to bed." she said. "Sora fell asleep on my shoulder." _

_Atlanshia smiled. "You used to do that all the time. I'm so proud of you two. With the other options you had, you decided to take responsibility and raise Sora and Sola. You're so young, and you're already better parents than us. Keep it up; you're doing so well."_

_"Aw, thanks, Mum. I just hope we deserve these two."_

_"Guys, you're both really good kids. But you made one mistake. I think it's all part of life's plan. I think that you falling pregnant was an award from above for you two being so good. While it seems bad when you think about it at first, you realise that your children are the sweetest gift ever."_

_"We love them more than I ever thought possible," said Salo, as Sola's eyes shut. She wriggled just a bit to turn her head._

_Sara nodded in agreement, taking care not to bump her son. "Well, we'd better put our little cherubs to bed," she said, opening the sliding glass door the the second living room-turned-bedroom. _

_She and Salo walked into the dimly lit room, down to the other end. A cot was there, with a divider to split it into two so that the twins couldn't accidentally hurt eachother. The curtains were open to allow the last rays of light in, and would be shut half an hour later. Each teen laid a child down into one side, and the two opened their eyes to gaze up at their parents._

_"Time for your story," said Salo, leaning on the edge of the cot. Sara stood beside him, resting her eyes on the wide, toothless smiles of her children._

_X_

_**"There was once a princess who lived in a land of peace and harmony. She had beautiful, long hair, and the sweetest smile you ever did see. She had a castle in the sun, suspended in the sky, which was good, because she was ever so shy. One day, below rode a prince on a horse. He stopped and looked up, and saw her, of course. He fell in love, and tried to reach her, but his voice was small, he wasn't a good speaker. So instead, he wrote her a note, on a balloon, making it float. Upwards it soared, straight into her hands. After she read it, she looked down at the man. He smiled and waved, and she did too, forgetting her shyness and gaining something new. Later that day, they were wed, and lived peacefully, a life without end."**_

_X_

_The two teenagers did all in their power to ensure that they could be there to tell them their story. Once, Salo had almost screamed when he realised that an important exam crossed over with Sora and Sola's bedtime. He had been so happy when the teacher announced that the exam was over, that he stood up and declared:_

_"WOOHOO! Now that this stupid exam is over, I can go home and put my kids to bed!" _

_The teacher looked a bit shocked that someone his age had kids, and several other students gaped. _

_"You have KIDS? What the hell!" said Ranai, who was one of many budding students for university._

_"What? I love them, I love my fiancee, what else matters? I was freaking out during that exam, because I was late to tuck them in and tell them their story. But now this is over, I'm gonna speed off like Road Runner. Beep, beep!"_

_Then he rushed out, along with the other students._

_"They're so beautiful," said Sara, leaning down to kiss each child on the cheek. They giggled and squirmed, and Salo gave them each a kiss, too. _

_"Nighty night, don't let the bedbugs bite."_

_"Or kidnap you," added Salo._

_As they walked out of the room, Sara asked "How the heck would bedbugs kidnap them?"_

_"...It's just something my grandad used to say. I always swore that if they got me, I'd kick thier arses back to the Stone Age."_

_Back in their cot, Sora stretched out an arm and grabbed one of the bars seperating him from his sister. Sola reached out and put her hand on top of his. They would be found like that in the morning, and it would be a symbol of their future closeness._

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

**X**

Naminé had now been learning to fence for three days. Bijoux had taught her how to reverse attacks, parry and thrust. Her ways of controlling the path of her sword and predictions of the opponent's next move had improved a little, though her estimates were usually wrong.

She was currently locked in combat with her new friend, and was being watched closely by the Arties. They saw as she parried a thrust by Bijoux, and tried to bat the weapon aside to get at the younger girl's throat. While the sword was still a foil, and the user was only allowed to go for the torso, Bijoux had changed the rules. She recommended that Naminé fight dirty, as any real life threat would do the same.

"Look at her. She's like a mix of Arty and Sporty. Should we still let her hang with us?" asked Caetu, looking at Tish.

"Of course we should! Just because she's learning how to fight with the Sporties doesn't mean she's stopped learning to draw with us. Besides, she's a sweet girl. She'd never do anything to hurt us."

"Hmm, I guess," said Jutt. She wasn't paying much attention, as she was looking at George again.

Bijoux brought her foil down again, trying to loosen Naminé's grip. The older girl just parried, knocking Bijoux back a step. She allowed herself a small smile, but then remembered what she was learning.

_"Never show confidence. If the opponent thinks you think you're winning, they'll come down harder."_

Bijoux lunged forward again, slashing horizontally from left to right. Naminé held her foil upside down to protect herself, and then flipped it upwards to knock her opponent's weapon away.

"Nice," said Bijoux, preparing to thrust the edge of the blade at Naminé's stomach. The older girl had foolishly left it unguarded.

Naminé saw the focus of Bijoux's eyes change to her torso, and just managed to knock the blade aside.

"Ho-ho! You're getting good!"

"Thanks!" answered the blonde, stepping back and holding her blade down by her hip. She put her left arm out behind her, and luckily, too.

Bijoux saw her rearranging her feet so that they were shoulder-width apart, and took a chance when Naminé had her weight on her right foot. She kicked at it, knocking her onto the mat again.

It seemed Bijoux would win, but Naminé used her hand to break her fall, sprang to her feet, and tripped the younger girl over. She put the side of the blade against Bijoux's throat.

"Okay, you win. Now it's 17-1."

"Okay, so I have to win seventeen times to pull ahead. Fantastic," said Naminé, while happy with her victory, not too pleased about how many she needed before she could truly celebrate.

"Hey, you've done pretty well. We've dueled eighteen times in three days, and you've won once. Most fencers can't win in the first month, let alone three days."

Naminé and Bijoux talked for a few more moments, before Naminé walked back over to the Arties.

"Hey guys!" she said, sitting with them.

"Hi, Kyraki. What do you see in those damn Sporties?" asked Jutt, looking over her shoulder once more at the Preppies, then facing Naminé.

"I figure if I'm gonna stay here, I need as many friends as I can get. There's no harm in joining every group. With you I do what I love, with them I do what I need."'

"What do you need?" asked Caetu.

"Swordfighting."

"My brother could have taught you that. He couldn't fight, not really, but he knew all the dynamics. I wish he was here..."

"...Where is he?" asked Naminé, hesitantly.

Caetu delivered the story in eight sentences. "My little brother was twelve, and his name was Caelum. We used to live on a world called Spiraiviladiel, but then these things called Heartless came. I was seperated from him and my parents, and came here with my sister. Each of us in our family have trackers, implanted here." Caetu pointed to the base of his skull. "We volunteered for it. It enables us to tell when a family member is dead. My brother's one blinked out a couple of weeks ago, but my sister's is still going strong. She's out there, I know it."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I hadn't seen him since he was four. My sister disappeared from the home a while back. Along with another social group, the Armies. I wonder where they went..."

Tish put her hand on top of his.

"So," she said "Who wants to go and do some more drawing?"

**X**

Eotef sat in the Statistical Scientists' loungeroom, his clipboard sat on his lap. He was sipping from a plastic cup of cold water, with nothing else to do for the whole day. He sighed and finished his drink, crushing the fragile plastic in his hand.

He had done all that he could, and now sat bored in the staffroom. Then a cry went out and he leapt up.

"Inspection!"

"Oh, crap!" Eotef put his clipboard away and walked briskly down to the entrance of the building. They often sprung surprise inspections on the workers, to test their scientific and military prowess.

He walked to a group of the other Statistical Scientists, double-checking that his white labcoat was free of any marks. Each and every one of his co-workers was busy preening their hair and checking for stains on their clothing. A few were hurriedly tucking their shirts in. They never knew if it would be a uniform check or a cross country run.

"Hey guys," said Eotef, licking his hand and flattening a small bit of hair that was sticking up from his fringe.

"Hey, man," answered Hira, a nineteen year old who was busily combing his hair. He was never seen without it, the trademark of his personality. Hira often played with and flicked his hair, so the comb was a necessity for him. He had named himself, because he read the name in a book and liked it, asking everyone to refer to him that way.

"Hey, coffin-boy," answered the SS jerk. Qerry hated Eotef for reasons he didn't even know, but had no desire to know, anyway. Like Hira, Qerry had read his own name somewhere and chosen it as his own.

"Hey, that's mean," answered Hira, putting his comb away.

"Did I ask you?!"

"Well, no but-"

"Shut up, then."

"Qerry, leave him alone, you baboon-brained jerk," said Eotef, stepping between the two. He was an inch shorter than Qerry, who simply snorted and turned away.

The Inspector walked down the line of EHTs, taking notes on their hair, clothes and how polite they were. She came to the Statistical Scientists, and inspected Hira first.

"Name?" she asked, clicking a slender black pen with her fingers. Her nails were painted white, contrasting with her dark skin. Her nametag said that she was 41-2-6-75, head Inspector of the EHT army and science departments.

"19-7-0-12, ma'am." he answered, afraid of being singled out. He hated standing out in a crowd, so usually cast his eyes low.

"Job?"

"Statistical Scientist, ma'am."

"Uh-huh."

She didn't sound very impressed, but looked over him once. She didn't say anything, and so Hira knew she was satisfied with his appearance. He let out a sigh of relief, and ran his right hand though his hair. Hira silently cursed his habit, and pulled his comb out of his pocket again.

She stopped in front of Eotef, and asked the same questions. He quickly answered, giving her the same respect Hira had. Once again, she was satisfied with him, and wrote down a few notes next to his name.

_"Well presented, polite, neat hair."_

She stopped in front of Qerry, and once again asked the same things.

"Name?"

"15-7-90-23."

She waited a moment. "Job?"

"Statistical Scientist."

She looked at him a couple of times, at his messy hair and untucked shirt, and chose to speak to him about it.

"For Christ's sake, get a comb. And learn how to tuck your shirt in."

_"Messy hair. Messy clothes. Impolite when compared to previous two."_

41-2-6-75 walked further along, away from the three.

"She was totally hitting on me," said Qerry.

"Er, no. She told you to learn how to brush your hair. It looks like a bird has made a nest in it," said Eotef, pointing at him.

"It's called style, you square."

"It's called 'do what she told you or be struck off', you bird-head."

"Shut up! I should punch your head in!"

"Do that, and be struck off."

'Struck off' was a term that meant to be condemned to running errands around the entire factory, and only getting an hour's break every day. That counted lunch and sleep. They kept them working until they died.

"Shut up!"

"Your 'style' would be complete if you only had a chicken to put on top of your head. You could eat breakfast on the run," said Hira.

Eotef turned to face him, nodding. "Nice!" he said, dragging the word out.

"I could kick the shit out of both of you, if I wanted."

"Do it, then."

"I don't want to."

"Baboon-brained coward!" said Eotef.

"...Whatever. You two had better stay away from me for the rest of the day, because I float like a butterfly and sting like a- ARRGH!"

Qerry tripped over his coat, landing on his backside. Eotef laughed, extending a hand to help him up.

"Have a nice trip?" he asked.

"See you next Fall!" added Hira, also in hysterics.

Qerry ignored the hand and pulled himself up.

"Laugh now, but I WILL get you back."

"Try, and be struck off."

"SHUT UP!"

41-2-6-75 turned around. "Do you mind?! I'm trying to do my job!"

A few minutes later, they were all dismissed back to their stations. Hira and Eotef walked together, while Qerry stormed off.

"Man, what an asshole," said Hira.

"I know, what's that jerk's problem, anyway? We never did anything to him."

"I dunno. He's just a natural jerk."

"He reminds me of someone."

Hira stopped walking. "Really? You remember something?"

Eotef shook his head. "No. He just makes me think I knew someone like him. You know, in my past life?"

The two continued to stroll down the hall. "Maybe your Crystal is playing up."

Eotef scratched the back of his head. "Maybe. I don't want it checked, though. Riley had his checked for malfunction, and they used this HUGE needle. It was as long as my forearm, and as thick as a finger."

"Sure it was."

"It was! I saw them inject him with it. Nasty!" Eotef shuddered, recalling when it had pierced his co-worker's neck. "I'm tellin' you, Riley screamed like a banshee."

"Okay, don't get it checked. Just don't say anything to anyone else about this. I'll keep mum, I guarantee you, but others aren't so trustworthy. If word gets around to the Head, you'll have that needle in your spinal column before you can blink!"

"Keep mum about what?" asked a girl, appearing from nowhere. It was Fono, and she was stood as if to say: 'Tell me, or I'll find out'.

"Aah! Jeez, girl! You scared us," said Hira, jumping sky-high.

"Sorry. So, what? Keep what a secret?" She looked at Eotef with the sidewards eye, a well known female practice used to say: 'You'd better stop that', or in this case, 'If you don't tell me, I'll be offended. If you do, and I don't like it, I'm dobbing'.

"Erm, a robot," said Hira, answering for his friend.

"...A robot?"

"Yeah, a robot. A machine. Like the ones that make us," continued Eotef, slowly winding out a story.

"What about them?" asked Fono, putting on a face that showed she was skeptical.

"We heard one was malfunctioning in sector eight."

"Oh," she said, starting to walk past them. "I suppose that would explain the needle you're afraid of getting." She smirked as she turned the corner.

"Crap! She heard!"

"Aha!" Fono reappeared. "Your Crystal's malfunctioning."

"Oh, dammit... Yes, it is. I'm not getting it checked, so don't even ask!" answered the boy.

"Eotef, if you get bumped on the head, it could break. It might sever your column."

"I'll take that risk. I am having no needle, okay? No needle will come anywhere near my neck."

"Okay, okay, fine. Just, be careful. I don't need to lose you, you're my closest buddy and a good colleague. I don't like the idea of you having to be killed for being useless. Though you're pretty much useless at the moment." Fono smiled at them as she went around the corner again.

"I guess she'll keep it secret," said Hira.

**X**

Zexion and Ares were now extremely frustrated. Axel had looked all around the outskirts of the city, and the pair had looked within, but no one had seen or talked to anyone fitting the descriptions of the eight missing teenagers.

"I give up," said Ares, sweeping some blonde hair from her eyes. "We've had no success, apart from that one lead. And that was just an anemone."

"I don't think they're here," said Nereida. "Someone would have said something about outsiders, but all that's going around is about you."

"Well, thanks for your help. We'd probably still be looking if we didn't have you," said Zexion.

"That's no problem. I like to help folks out. It gives me something exciting to do, instead of swimming around in circles. Do you guys actually have an idea of where they could be?"

"None, unfortunately," answered Axel, shaking his head. "They just disappeared."

"Huh. Any ideas where they might go?"

"Well, some. But we've searched them all. We're just picking random places now."

"Oh. Well, good luck with the rest of your search, I hope you find them soon."

"Thanks, Nereida."

"No problem. I should get back home now."

"Alright, bye."

"Seeya guys." Nereida swam off, leaving the three.

"So, where next?" asked Zexion, turning to look at Axel.

"Hmm... Maybe Agrabah?"

"Okay, let's look there. I bet they're not even on any of these worlds. I'll be so pissed off it that happens!" said Ares.

**X**

Ienzo sat on the sofa, a cat curled up in his lap. Marmalade was purring softly, as his owner and creator ran his hands through his ginger fur. He hadn't really expected his family to keep the three year old, as he had been an 'unnatural freak'. It felt nice to be able to sit there with a fluffy animal laid on his legs, as he hadn't done so since he was ten, with Mildred.

He scratched Marmalade under the chin, and the kitty-cat yawned.

Isis toddled in on her fat little legs, stumbling over the floor to her brother's side. She looked adorable in her pink jacket, with a pair of tiny jeans and a white lacy top on beneath.

"Hey, Goddess," said the sixteen-year-old, using the nickname he had given her.

Isis crawled into his lap, next to Marmalade. She laced her fingers together, and hugged Ienzo around the neck, as gently as she could.

"Awwo," she said. Isis had the same eyes as him, and black hair courtesy of their father. Marmalade hopped down, retreating to his catbasket near the heater.

He lifted Isis up before lowering her to sit on his lap. Even though he had only really met her recently, he had instantly loved his youngest sister.

She leant her tiny head against his chest, and he put a hand on her back. It was almost as big as her.

"My bruvva, my bruvva, my bruvva, heeheehee!" said Isis, in her singsong way.

Sharon was walking past, and couldn't help but smile as her eldest embraced her youngest.

Five minutes later, the tiny girl had fallen asleep on Ienzo. He was careful not to breathe too deep, just in case he disturbed her. Her little face was angelic, long and dark eyelashes framing her huge closed eyes. Her short, pixie-cut hair was neat, but that soon changed as she rolled around to get comfy.

Ienzo put a protective arm over her waist, to save her from falling off and tumbling to the floor. Isis would occaisionally let out a sound, like a moan or sigh of content. She slept for about two minutes, before she reopened her sparkling eyes and climbed down with her brother's help.

"Bye-bye," she said, waving as she toddled off.

"Bye-bye," answered Ienzo. He smiled to himself. It looked like family life would be back to normal, as soon as his other three siblings were returned.

**X**

There had been many searches in place since the abandoned attempt in the Tung Shao Pass. Demyx's group had questioned people on almost every world they could think of, and others they had simply stumbled across. Now they were in big trouble.

It had started when they had wandered into a village, where it became apparent that outsiders weren't welcome. Small children ran to find shelter behind various carts and barrels lining the town's single, long street. It was coated with dust, which got into Alex's eyes and nose, making her sneeze and rub at her sore irises.

"Ouch," she said, through a lining of dust in her throat. "I got a freakin' layer of the stuff on my eyeballs." The redhead blinked several times, eyes watering.

Xeonide handed her a tissue, and Demetrix stretched her hand over it. A few water droplets rained from her palm and onto the thin paper, wetting it to aid with her friend's optical impairment.

"Thanks, guys," said Alex, pressing it against her right eye.

"No prob," answered Xeonide. "Lixnus, where are we?"

The illusionist looked around. They were in a small village, running along a single road. Grey stone houses lined it on either side, and it appeared that there was but one shop. In front of each house was a postbox, though a person could simply walk down the road and place a letter into their neighbours' hand if they wanted. Small gardens pointing outwards had bright green grass, and a few had topiary bushes cut into cubes or spheres. Lixnus appreciated these types of surroundings, as he had read about them a lot.

He turned to face the group, transforming from an emotionless enigma into a chirpy tour guide. All it took was something that needed explaining to a small group of people who would have to listen to him.

"Okay, a small village. Roughly twenty houses. From the architecture, I'd say that makes this particular village roughly two hundred years old. The path may be older. Notice the raised centre with the two rain ditches at the side. They were used for irrigation, and the straight roads helped prevent ambush. Judging from the coat of dust, I'd say this village isn't very populated. Maybe twenty five inhabitants."

"That's where you're wrong."

Lixnus turned around, wanting to know how many people did live there. He was about to ask, when he realised that the man who had spoken wasn't a gentle farmer like he had expected.

The man wore basic brown pants and shoes, with a dusty white shirt and a faded red jacket. His head was adorned by a khaki flat cap. Lixnus wasted no time in looking at his clothes, however, as he was busy regarding the shiny axe with a sharp edge only centimetres from his nose.

**X**

It was even more dusty in Agrabah. There was a rough wind blowing sand through the streets, where it skittered along the ground until it found rest blown up against a sandstone wall. The sun was beating down, too. It sent ripples of air rising from the ground, distorting any image that fell behind them.

Ares wasted no time in letting just what she thought of the conditions pass through her head and out her mouth.

"It's a freaking dust bowl in this city. How does anyone manage?"

"Actually, a dust bowl is when all the topsoil is blown away so nothing can be planted. The land is effectively ruined," said Zexion, shedding his cloak and tossing it through a portal. Axel and Ares did the same. It was way too hot to wear anything like that, especially as the colour would absorb the heat and slowly bake them.

"Well, it doesn't look like anything can be planted out there. And stop correcting me!" Ares stamped her foot into the sand, sending a few grains up in a small mushroom cloud at her toes. They settled on the end of her boots.

"Well, obviously, that desert was never able to be planted in the first place. So, even though it resembles a dust bowl, it can't be. I like correcting you, it gives me something to say to you," Zexion bit his lip. He'd just made it seem like he had to find excuses to talk to her.

Thankfully, Ares didn't seem to notice. She was too busy tying her hair back, to minimize risk of getting any sand amongst her blonde strands. That stuff was hard to dislodge, even with a full bottle of shampoo, a thin-tooth comb and a strong desire to rid your hair of it. On Ares' mental scale of things hardest to remove from one's hair, sand came second, before glitter and after chewing gum.

"Should we split up again? I'll go on my own and you two can go together. Maybe you can even make a sucessful attempt to kill eachother," she said.

"Ha-ha, you're a regular Billy Connolly. Yeah, we should split up again."

"Okay, see you guys later. Back here at four," Ares walked off down the streets to begin her search.

Axel and Zexion took one look at eachother, silently agreeing that they would search solo. Axel was slightly wary, wondering if the Cloaked Schemer had been doing his namesake, and come up with a plot to kill him. Zexion was still paranoid, and wanted to stay away from the redhead for fear of an "accidental" burning.

As Ares wandered around, asking the occasional citizen if they had seen a pair of blonde twins, and the little group they were travelling with, she was left to her own thoughts. Though she hadn't shown it, she had heard what Zexion had said.

_"Something to say to me? Is he shy or something, or does it mean he's bored of me? Jesus, boys are like another species. Well, Zexion kind of is, but still."_

Ares put a hand up to her face, protecting her eyes from an onslaught of sand grains. Her eyes and legs were what she considered most important out of all her bodyparts. Eyes for aiming, legs for dodging and strafing. If she had a choice of one arm cut off or a leg, she'd say to definetly take the arm. As long as she had one handy, excusing the pun, Ares was a happy girl.

Zexion had just finished asking a thin man wearing a loose cotton robe if he had seen Roxas, and strolled off down the road. No luck with him, time to pick out another random person and try.

Like Ares, he retreated into his own mind as he ran his eyes over the crowd.

_"I hope I didn't give her any wrong ideas. I wasn't saying I was bored of her. WHAT?!" _ Zexion inwardly screamed. _"What in Worchestershire?! Does that mean I was saying I like her? In THAT way? Crap, I hope this blows over. Even if I do like her like that, I have no chance. Girls are a different species."_

His best friend was speaking to a woman in an abaya, inquiring if she'd seen anyone blonde, besides her, in the city recently. She was met with a shake of the head, though she'd heard of a brunette with a key.

"Ah, that'd be Sora. Thanks for your help, though."

Ares once again wandered off, to pick out another citizen.

_"What does that mean, though? If he's getting bored of me, and I see no reason he should be, then that's bad. Worse than the alternative. The alternative is that he's shy of me. Why the hell would he be shy? He wasn't even shy when we met, if anything he was a bit forward. If he's getting shy, then it means A: He's afraid of me. B: He's found a new friend to talk to. In that case, I'll adopt a series of strategies to ensure I stay his best friend. Or, C: Zexion is moving past the best friend thing and has other interests in me. Not bloody likely, he doesn't even have real emotions. At least, I don't think so. Ah, screw! This is so confusing!"_

Ares was distracted from her thoughts as she saw something up ahead. A group of children, no more than five or six years old, were surrounded by Heartless. They whimpered as the creatures repeatedly jumped at them, trying to snatch their hearts from their chests. One little boy clung to an older child, presumably his brother. Both had tears of fear streaking down their cheeks, leaving salty trails in their wake.

Ares ran towards the group, yelling out instructions to the Heartless.

"Hey, hey! Stop that! Go back to the Realm of Darkness!" she cried. A Soldier turned to look at her.

"We don't follow your orders anymore."

"Huh?" Ares pulled her head back slightly, surprised at the hidden ability.

"The Heartless side with whoever's strongest, and at the moment, it's us."

Stood on a ledge above the scene was a young man, roughly nineteen years of age. He had shoulder length black hair and yellow eyes, which contrasted with his black leather jacket and grey camouflage pants. He sported an EHT pendant around his neck, the ID tag of every Troop. He looked down at Ares like she was a bug to be squashed.

"You must be Ares James. The one-time leader of the Heartless. Even though you weren't supposed to be, you were warned that you'd lose control if you neglected your abilities. So, we have relieved you of your power. Now you're just a hormonal bitch with a couple of guns."

"Halo... Yes, a guy named Halo warned me. But who are you?"

"By Halo, I presume you mean 8-1-12-15. He goes by lots of names, Halo is derived from his number. The eighth letter in the alphabet is H, and so on. He also calls himself Eotef. He's on our side." He shook his head. "Why am I telling you this?"

"Maybe because I'll kick the crap out of you if you don't." Inside her head, Ares worried. Halo was an EHT? That backstabber! Her abilities were gone? No Heartless, no Destroying Angel attack, no portals. She was effectively normal. Normal and backstabbed.

"Ooh, I'm scared! HA! Not likely. I am of the Elite Heartless Troops, a ten thousand strong army who will soon purge this universe of anything which cares even slightly about the light."

Ares' hand reached up the back of her shirt, where her two Glocks were secured in their holsters. She rested one hand upon Demon.

"Hand outta your shirt. Did you think I was stupid? I'm not going to let you whip those guns out and blast me away. Not that you'd manage to, but still."

She brought her hand into sight, but then while his attentions were on that one, Ares put her other hand into her pocket. She pressed the centre button of her phone, and pressed the down button three times. If she was correct, she was now above the Drafts folder in her text messaging menu. She entered it, and scrolled down to a pre-saved message. Ares sent it to Zexion.

Zexion's phone beeped, and he drew it from his pocket.

_New text message. Read now?_

Zexion selected Yes, and scanned his eyes over the letters making up the message.

_Danger, need help now. _

He shut his phone, replaced it in his pocket, and ran in the direction Ares had gone in.

_"Come on, you retarded magician. Didn't you get the text? Hurry up!" _ Ares inwardly yelled, praying her friend would get there in time to help her and the children. This Heartless guy was definitely dangerous, she could tell that by the steel mace tucked into his belt, along with some sort of a rapier. It was made from a thin slice of purple crystal, which Ares recognized.

_"Crystal! THE Crystal! How'd he get that?"_

He caught her looking at it.

"It's a medal amongst EHTs. Only the finest Troops are chosen to wield weapons carved of the Crystal."

"I helped destroy it in Spiraiviladiel. My Heartless ripped it from the ground and dropped it on an army. How did you get ahold of it? It's been resealed in the Realm of Darkness."

"Where the Heartless live. We simply chipped bits off and made weapons. Duh."

_"Alright, we need to get to that Crystal and put up that barrier again."_

Ares ignored the comment, instead deciding to wait for Zexion. The children were all close together, trying to get away from the creatures. She almost cried out with joy when she heard Zexion run up behind her.

Zexion stopped in his tracks at her side. "Is that a Heartless?" he asked.

"Is HE a Heartless, not 'that', you retarded emo. And yes, I am. I was just telling Ares how she no longer has power over the drones."

"What?! Who has more right to control them than Xehanort's daughter? That's ridiculous!"

"Hey, it isn't my fault if these little dudes are suckups!" He gave them a tight-lipped grin, eyes shining with amusement. How he loved to hurt people.

"Whatever," said Zexion, slashing with his fingers bent. He duplicated a Heartless attack, wiping out the weaklings. The children ran away, too scared to look back.

"Thanks!" called a boy, as he belted off down the street.

The guy's mouth dropped open, as he gasped. "I know where you're from! You were in the Organization!"

"So? Anyway, you're dead!" Zexion teleported onto the wall next to him, signaling for Ares to draw her Glocks. She nodded, and her hands dove to the holsters concealed under her shirt at the back. Expecting to feel the grip, instead she felt thin air.

"Eh? They're gone!"

She heard a chuckle behind her, and she whirled around. The guy from the ledge was stood behind her, spinning each gun around an index finger.

"You, but- how did you...?"

"I'm guessing you haven't heard of identical twins. They call me Swifty. You know why?"

"Because you're swift at stealing things?" she asked. She felt for her new dagger, and was glad to find it still tucked into the waistband of her jeans. Ares pulled it out, and jumped back twice, distancing herself. How did they use daggers in movies?

"Very good, let me go get you a medal. My brother up there is Smash. He's very good with that mace of his."

Zexion was having a little trouble with Smash. He had been forced to the edge, and the Heartless had no second thoughts about brutally swinging his mace around to clatter Zexion over the head. The Nobody ducked, hearing the air whistle as the deadly morning star whipped through the molecules. He was thankful it wasn't his skull taking the toll.

Ares had no idea how she was going to fight with a dagger, against two guns which were actually hers. She had never done anything but shoot, and so had no idea how to use a stabbing and thrusting weapon. It would just add insult to injury if she was shot with her own weapon.

Luckily, Swifty had no intention of using the guns. He emptied them of all ammunition and then dropped them into the dust. He drew his own dagger, a stiletto type, with a dangerously sharp edge. It looked like it wanted to fly from his grip and stab Ares in the chest.

"Well," he said, holding it out in front of him as though it were a rapier like the one his brother had. "I'm afraid it's my responsibility to relieve you of your knife. Children shouldn't play with them."

"Children shouldn't play with matches either!" came yet another voice. Swifty yelped and let go of his dagger, as the handle quickly heated to an unbearable temperature. It fell to the ground, turning some sand around it into glass upon contact.

Axel was stood nearby, with his hand out. Some yellow flames rose up between his fingers, and he looked about ready to toss a fireball at the twin Heartless.

"Oh, thank God you're here. Thanks for the help," said Ares, gripping her own dagger like the killer in _Psycho._

"No problem."

Swifty looked up at his brother on the ledge. "There's more of 'em!" he cried, defenseless.

Zexion looked up from his scuffle with Smash. "There ARE', not 'There IS'. Jesus, go back to school!" Smash swung his mace again, but Number VI held up his Lexicon to take the brunt of the blow for him. He sucessfully copied the attack, swinging an invisible morning star. The Heartless took the pain in his chest, sending him flying backwards and striking his head on the wall. He wasn't down for long.

"How many?" asked Smash, leaping back up and running at his opponent.

"Three, including yours!"

"You know, it's about time you learned to shut up," said Axel, launching his ball of flames at Swifty's feet. The young man jumped up as it struck the ground in front of him, and landed on quite a different surface than the one he had stood on. The heat hit the sand, melting it into glass within moments. Swifty landed back on a panel of the metamorphed glass, making it crack and splinter into a million pieces. They tinkled against eachother for a moment, giant shards of now-deadly sand. He kicked some at the two, aiming for the eyes.

Ares shielded her eyes with her arm, which took a bit of a beating from all the sharp edges on the dangerous sand. A few smaller pieces jabbed sharply into her exposed skin, sending alarm messages through her nerves, ripping like a knife through cloth. She tried to ignore her reflexes, which were urgently instructing, no; begging her to put her arm down. Ares knew that if she did, she could be blinded by the unexpected weapon.

Axel did the same, though receiving only a few cuts. He leapt forward and pinned Swifty to the wall with his left arm. A quick punch to the face had him sleeping like a baby.

Smash had pushed Zexion to the edge, and knew that one run would send him tumbling over. Just one little push and he would win. The Organization guy had two metres behind him, but after that it was a ten foot drop, which would be very painful if he landed the wrong way. Smash took his chance. He ran right at Zexion, arms out to shove him in the shoulders, but his plan didn't quite work. His opponent lost his balance while he was stepping back as a reflex. Instead of falling back, Zexion happened to fall to his right, and Smash ran right over the edge, landing face-first in the glass shards.

Ares laughed, despite also having been injured by the same thing. Smash cried out.

"Great, you knocked Swifty out! Now who's going to help me when I'm on the Generation Device shift?!"

Smash teleported away, taking his brother with him.

"Are they gone?" asked Zexion, sitting up.

"Yeah, I think so," said Axel. "Who were they, anyway?"

Ares and Zexion filled him in, and Axel said just one word.

"Naminé."

"Yeah, she said she was going to fight them, but she doesn't stand a chance. We need to get her out of that town," said Zexion, before noticing the blood running down Ares' arm. "Jeez! That looks painful!"

Ares nodded, biting her lower lip. "Can one of you cast a cure on me?" she asked.

"It won't heal with all that in it. Let me pull it out," said Zexion.

Ares swung her arm away. "No, no, no, no, no! That is NOT an option!"

"I'll try to mask the pain with an illusion."

"Have you ever done it before?"

"No," he admitted "But I'm capable of tricking all other senses. Touch should be easy to change."

Axel shook his head, and pulled a few pieces of glass from his own arm. "Don't be such a baby."

"I am not a baby! It just so happens to be excruciating!" Then the pain stopped, and she looked to see Zexion with his fingers on his temples, concentrating.

"Try to pull it out yourself. It won't hurt, and I need all my focus to do this."

Ares gingerly touched her forearm, and when satisfied with the anaesthetic, began to pluck the shards out.

"You'd make a good doctor," said Axel, as Ares yanked a particularly large piece out of her flesh. A stream of blood ran down her arm and stained the yellow sand.

"Thanks," answered Zexion, turning his fingers at the sides of his temples as though it would fine-tune his abilities.

"I think I'm ready for the spell now."

"Cure," said Axel, and all the wounds on Ares' skin knitted together.

"Thanks, guys. Axel's right, you would make a good doctor."

"Thanks. In the words of Ace Ventura, 'Alrighty, then'! Let's go get to Naminé. We'd better tell Lixnus."

He typed in a summary of the events into his PocketCom, sending it to his brother. As had long been the boy's motto; "Information equals preparation".

**X**

**X**

Naminé met the gang in the gym, where they were all sat around with their pencils and paper. Caetu was sketching a picture of a beautiful young girl, and a boy next to her. His brow was furrowed as he concentrated, filling in the irises of the boy with a red pencil.

"Hello, you guys. What are you doing?"

"Well, Caetu's drawing his family, I'm doing a landscape and Jutt is drooling over George again," said Tish, laughing as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. Jutt's eyes didn't falter, remaining fixed on George's face.

Naminé plonked down next to Tish, getting out her own drawing book. She flipped to a page of clean, fresh paper, and selected a 2B pencil.

"Why don't you tell him?" she asked Jutt.

"Are you nuts?! He's a Prep! He'd have no interest in me, not with Belinda hanging around all the time." Jutt nodded at a ginger-haired girl who was laughing her head off at something George said.

"You never know, he might feel the same."

"Yeah, if he feels at all."

"Are you into him or not?" asked Caetu.

"I don't know..."

Tish looked at her friend's eyes. "Ooh, you are totally in love!" she said, quiet enough so that no one but the Arties heard.

"Maybe I am, but I stand no chance."

"Go. Tell him," said Tish.

"No, you tell him for me."

"Fine." The green-haired girl slowly rose to her feet, but Jutt violently pulled her back down.

"I didn't mean it!"

Tish grinned like the Cheshire Cat as her brain worked. "You tell him or I will."

Jutt's eyes widened. "Bugger off! I can't do it when all his friends are there, he'll be sure to shoot me down!"

"I could lure them away for you. Or you could get him away," said Caetu. He stood up. "Hey! Belinda, James, Arnold, Wanda! Your mothers were hamsters and your fathers smelt of elderberries!"

"Why you little!" The four chased after Caetu, who belted off down the hall. Everyone else bolted after him, leaving Jutt alone with George.

He let his shoulders slump, and leant against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Jutt felt her cheeks burning, embarrassed at being plain in his line of sight. She went to walk down the hall after her friends, but she halted when George called out to her.

"Jutt! Can you come here for a second?"

_"Run, run now."_

Instead of what her brain told her, her body did a U-turn and walked straight back to him.

"Yeah?"

_"Go, now, before you prattle on about absolute rubbish!"_

"Why do I always catch you staring at me?" he asked.

Jutt's facial expression didn't change at all, as she somehow contained her total and utter embarrassment.

"Aah. I see," he said, brushing a hand through his hair. Getting no response from her, he tried to break the silence. "Toaster."

Somehow, Jutt managed to speak, seeming not to hear his mention of a bread-cooking appliance. "This is so embarrassing."

"Tell me about it. It's not every day I finally get up the courage to talk to you and then end up waffling on about rubbish."

"Huh, what?"

George sighed. "I did it again, right? I waffled on about crap."

"Get up the courage to talk to me? What are you talking about?"

"Okay, I'll shut up."

"No, tell me what you're talking about."

"Forget it. It's nothing."

Jutt shrugged and wandered off towards the exit. She was about to walk down the hall, where the two cliques were walking back to the gym, when George called out after her.

"Jutt! Wait!" George inwardly kicked himself. "I have a crush on you!"

She stepped back a bit, freaking out. Belinda's eyes narrowed as she jumped at her, screaming like a banshee.

"Oh, crap," said George, running a hand down his face. He hadn't seen the rest of his friends coming.

Belinda grabbed hold of Jutt's hair, twisting and pulling. Jutt cried out in pain, swinging her arms around behind her to grip at her opponent's own locks. She whirled around, kicking Belinda in the legs to knock her over. Tish tried to pull them apart, but neither girl was going to let up. The green-haired girl was then pushed over by Wanda.

"Oof!" Tish's arms clattered against the floor, making a cracking noise. She hadn't broken anything, though she was in a lot of pain.

Wanda then grabbed her by the hair, pulling her up. Naminé was the only Arty girl not involved, and knew that Caetu wouldn't do anything out of fear of hurting a girl.

"Kyraki!" cried Tish, pushing against Wanda. "Help me!"

Naminé decided to grab Wanda's wrist. She wasn't a violent person at all, and simply wanted to free her friend without hurting the other girl.

Her pale fingers closed around Wanda's thin wrist, and she pulled to release Tish's spearmint strands.

Wanda slapped Naminé in the face with her other hand, causing her to step back. The blonde touched her upper lip, to find that it was wet with blood. Some of it went into her mouth, and she could taste the iron-coppery liquid. Naminé looked at her hand, seeing that a small black smear had been left on her skin. She then gasped, knowing that she had just been exposed to everyone.

"Oh my God! Kyraki's a Nobody!" yelled Jutt. "RAISE THE ALARM!"

George ran to a box on the wall, mashing a red button with his fist. The entire building was warned by a siren, blaring out a continuous honk.

Naminé couldn't think of anything but escape. All she could do was run.

Tish grabbed her wrist, squeezing tightly.

"But, I thought we were friends!" said the girl tearfully, pulling to keep Naminé in place. "I thought you cared! But you're a GODDAMN TRAITOR! I HATE YOU!"

"Please, don't say that!" begged Naminé, ceasing to pull. "It hurts!"

Tish's gaze hardened. "You and I both know that's not true."

"I AM your friend! I would never hurt you!" Naminé twisted her hand so that her thumb pointed up, and pulled, breaking her grasp. She ran down the hall, dodging people as they flocked to the gym.

**X**

"So, could we buy a plane?"

"Yes," said Mocy, glancing at Eamon. He was walking along the battlements, arms out for balance.

"What about a boat?"

"We've got six, we don't need another. Would you get down from there? You're a sitting duck for attack."

Eamon leapt down next to Mocy, his shoes clacking against the stone. He was now sporting a loose shirt and a pair of military boots, but had kept his own pants on.

"Yeah, like anyone's going to snipe me from a helicopter."

"That's not likely, but a well aimed stone could kill you. Listen, can you please be more serious? We have more important matters than chit-chat."

Eamon nodded. "Sure, whatever you want to talk about."

"The battle in Spiraiviladiel resulted in many losses for us and them. If it were my choice I wouldn't have gone, but our uncle was under tremendous pressure from our main comrade."

"Who would that be?"

"The Heartless. We made a deal. We get them a few thousand hearts, they give us diamonds. Uncle eventually got in so deep with them that the Heartless sent his whole army to one particular place on Spiraiviladiel and they were wiped out by the underground citizens. It was a warning."

**X**

"Do it."

"No."

"Do it."

"No."

"Please, do it."

"No."

Fono followed Eotef around, instructing him to have his Crystal checked. They walked past thirty of the seven hundred rooms housing Generation machines.

"If it's knocked out of place, it could cause brain damage."

"I don't care. I just don't, okay? Nothing you say will make me get that damn needle in my neck!"

"It doesn't hurt!"

Eotef turned to an EHT in the hall.

"Riley, when you had your Crystal checked, did it hurt?" he asked.

"Like Hell."

He raised his eyebrows at Fono, and continued to walk. "See?"

"You're getting it done. No buts."

"What makes you think I care about my brain? My destiny as an EHT Statistical Scientist is pretty much to be cannon fodder, anyway."

"The Superior will not like this. You're his test specimen. You're tested all the time!"

"Ooh yeah, like, that's totally gonna persuade me not to avoid having this thing checked," he said, mimicking her tone. She growled.

"Don't sass me. I pillage and burn like a klepto-pyro."

"You'll have to hold me down to make me get checked."

"Whatever. I'll tell him myself."

"...You know I hate needles."

"Better injected than killed."

"Better killed than injected."

Fono sighed and turned a corner. "Don't come crying to me when you're injured!"

"Don't worry, I won't!"

Eotef continued to wander down the hall, hands in pockets. He chewed on the inside of his cheek, contemplating what to do. Fono would tell. She was a friend of his, just a little manipulative. Okay, kind of manipulative. Alright, she was the Queen of the Backstabbers. No, Goddess.

Whatever she was, she wasn't trustworthy.

Eotef sighed, letting his shoulders drop. He could practically feel the needle push into his spine right then. He grimaced, putting a hand to the back of his neck, touching where the Crystal was. You couldn't see it externally, but pressing hard enough in the right place enabled a person to make out the contours. His was the same shape as anyone else's; like a teardrop-cut diamond at the base of his skull. Every one of the Elite Heartless Troops had one, to improve "efficiency". That simply meant it was a memory-filter and identification method. The EHTs were scanned every time they entered the base, to ensure that they weren't copies or humans in disguise.

Eotef had enough trouble trying to remember all his names. Halo, Eotef, 8-1-12-15. It was like a freaking puzzle every day when he woke up.

_  
"Hrmm, who will I be today?"_

Again, he sighed. He was so wrapped up in his confusion that he didn't notice the person behind him until it was too late.

Qerry swung the steel bat hard at Eotef. It whistled through the air, smashing into the back of his head. Eotef froze with shock, then put out a hand to steady himself on the wall. He placed the palm of his hand to the back of his head, feeling warm blood rushing out over his fingers.

"What...?"

Eotef lost his balance, keeling over hard. His body hit the ground roughly, and the air in his lungs was blown out through his mouth. He found himself unable to breathe, due to the unimaginable, cruel, excruciating pain flooding every cell in his body. He just couldn't make his chest muscles work, couldn't make himself gulp in the oxygen. It was too much for his brain to take, so like all things when they're overwhelmed by information, it shut down, plunging Eotef's world into blackness.

Qerry had smirked at first, satisfied with himself. But when he realised that Eotef wasn't breathing, he dropped the bat in terror. If he was caught stood over him with a bloody bat in hand, he'd be "struck off" before he knew it. He turned on his heels and bolted, not knowing where he was going. As long as he was away from Eotef's still form, it didn't matter to him if he ran into the path of a Siberian tiger.

**X**

Demetrix whimpered, rushing behind her brother for protection. Lixnus stared nervously at the axe, noting with disgust that it had blood-spotting on it. Recent.

"Err, hey. Why don't you put the axe down and we talk?" he asked, backing up slightly. He clicked his fingers twice, pointing back the way they came.

"We don't like Nobodies around here. Our town has been pillaged countless times by your kind, and we aren't about to let it happen again!"

"Well, that's good. Because we aren't here to er, pillage. We're here in search of our friends. We hoped you may have seen them."

The man cracked his neck, and the group realised that there were a few silhouettes in windows surrounding the area. Obviously scared-yet-curious villagers.

"Look, we have no desire to hurt you. And we would appreciate it if you could return that favour."

"My son was taken by Nobodies. Bring him back, or you'll pay."

"...We haven't taken anyone. Are you sure it was Nobodies?"

"Giant monster with a heart-shaped hole in its chest, firing purple things at us."

"That was a Heartless. We don't know anything. When was he taken?"

"A couple of weeks back," said the man, lowering his voice and axe. Lixnus let out a sigh of relief.

"_Thought I was dog meat."_

Lixnus exclaimed as a beeping noise came from his pocket. He dove his hand in and flipped open his small PocketCom, essentially a BlackBerry but with more space and capabilities.

_To: Lixy_

_From: Zexion_

_Subject: Major Update About Heartless_

Lixnus opened the message.

_Long story short. In Agrabah, attacked. New Heartless type, Elite Heartless Troops. Humanoid. Have taken power of control of drones from Ares. Powerful, quick, strong. Major threat. Be on lookout, dangerous. Met two, identical twins. Named Smash and Swifty. Armed with mace, rapier, dagger. Manufactured from hearts, most likely gained in raids. Nothing else known. Keeps eyes and ears open. MAJOR THREAT. Black hair, gold eyes. Tall, muscled like Arnold Schwarznegger. _

_Watch out. Life may depend on it._

_Zexion_

"Uh-oh, Cheerios."

"What?"

"I think I know what happened to your son. Look, we're trying to solve this case. We're what you might call investigators. We got caught up in this. We have contacts who may know what to do. But we're here looking for someone. Have you seen any of these people?"

Lixnus opened up a picture file on his PocketCom, turning the screen to show the man. Pictures of Xolas, Roxas, Selphie, Tidus, Wakka, Serena, Zoe and Landusoi all popped up.

They had no luck, and had to go onto another world.

**X**

Eotef awoke a few minutes later, trying to recall what had happened. Using his information gathering skills he had been trained with, he looked at his surroundings. It was known as Sensory Identification/Knowledge. SIK for short. It involved using the senses to learn as much as possible from the immediate area.

_"Hallway. In EHT base? Yeah, definitely. I hear the engines of the machines. I smell something. Like, iron or copper. Magnesium?"_

He looked at the small purple puddle on the floor. He dipped his finger in it, and rubbed it against his thumb.

_"Slippery."_

He put his finger in his mouth.

_"Blood. Mine."_

Eotef sat up, and immediately fell down again. He held his head in his hands, inwardly screeching as pain flooded back through him.

"My CRYSTAL!" he cried, words dripping with pain.

The pain was like someone had taken to his skull with a burning poker, chopped his head off and tossed it into a shark tank of salty water. Then the giant animals had come and eaten it while he had somehow stayed alive.

Eotef drew in sharp, ragged breaths. Nothing had ever felt worse. Then, his left hip and the left part of his waist began to seethe with agony. He screamed loudly, gathering his legs to his chest and resting his forehead on his knees. Then, the worst pain would come to him, the pain that couldn't go away, even while he slept.

He gasped, as images flooded his mind. While hurried, they made sense to him. Flashes of colour, faces, voices and landmarks. They overflowed in his mind, spilling over and making his shoulders shake as everything rushed by at lightning speed. He couldn't take it.

"I WANT OUT!" he screamed, gripping the legs of his brown pants. His knuckles turned white with the effort, but still he held on. He was all alone, no one was around for at least a kilometre. The base was huge.

Eotef looked up, for anything he could use to ease his pain. There was only the wall, which he could use to smash his head on, but how would that help? He shuddered as his nerves jolted up his spine, sending alarm messages to his brain.

_"NO! STOP! I CAN'T! I CAN'T HANDLE THIS! PLEASE, MAKE IT GO AWAY!" _

He was practically in tears now, though it was actually impossible. But then he realised that it was pain, not emotion, causing his tear ducts to activate. But it wasn't like he wasn't recalling a lot of emotions at the moment. His memory filter was gone, and his head was flooded.

The young man stood up, though it caused a lot of pain to explode in his mind. He gritted his teeth, and looked for a way out.

"I wish the pain would stop!"

Then his eyes rested on a door.

**X**

The Red team sat in their bunk, Emmeleine as usual, lecturing them.

"...and the way you guys snore! Oh my God! Do I have to shove socks in your mouths?! Then there's the way you leave the kitchen, disgraceful! And the butter does not belong in the fridge!"

Redmond made a 'yak yak yak' symbol with his hand, but the girl just slapped it.

"I think I deserve a little respect! I've been through this crap before, and I'm trying to show you how to survive! So buck up and start listening! You're not powerful, you're not Keybearers, you don't have any abilities!"

"We do too!" objected Tom, hurt. Emmeleine was so nasty.

"What, you can give a mean wedgie? Please, you're nothing special."

"No, I-"

"Shut up and clean the kitchen!"

The six boys grumbled as they set about their work.

"Why isn't Keye doing anything?" asked Kretowicz, upset that she was never afflicted with chores.

"She doesn't have to, she listens to me."

Keye nodded.

"Maybe YOU should listen to US!" cried Henry, finally snapping. "You don't even care, do you? Your life is running us like a big machine! It pisses me off! Do you have any idea how much you annoy us? You should be following our orders, not the other way around! You've never even bothered asking where we come from! On our world, we could order your execution like THAT!" He snapped his fingers. "So, if I were you, I'd start showing us some respect, because if we had to, we could snap your spine like a twig!"

Emmeleine's eyes widened. She had only ever been spoken to like that in army camp, by a superior officer. And he had narrowly escaped an uppercut to the chin.

"... Holy crap. I didn't know you had the guts. At least one of you has enough sanity to do that. The way I treat you is another part of training." she said, beginning to pace, hands behind her back. "There are people out there who are worse than me."

Peggy raised his eyebrows. _"Impossible!" _

"You probably think it's impossible. But I have to test your breaking points so you don't do anything stupid."

"We've all had training before. You don't have to treat us like a squadron, at least not your squadron."

"What kind of training?"

"Long and arduous training. We crawled through mud and had to get our legs caught in bear traps for the simple reason of getting them out again."

"That's stupid. That's no way to train you. Who the hell uses a bear trap in this day and age?"

Tim shrugged. "We do. More often than not will you see one of us stepping on our own weapons."

"Why use them then? Why not use guns and blades?"

"We don't really need to. We're all trained in rifle and knife handling, but our armies have drones to do all the suicidal stuff. You know how there are humanoid Heartless and then things like Shadows? That's sort of what we're like, except we make the drones ourselves with borrowed Heartless technology."

"...What ARE you?"

The six boys exchanged glances.

"Phantoms."

"What? The same Phantoms who blacked out Hitan's sun? The same Phantoms who destroyed Ronani and Quenfal? The same Phantoms who destroyed Spiraiviladiel and killed my family?!" cried Keye. She whirled around and smashed a roundhouse kick into the wall, causing a loud bang to resonate around the room.

"You know, we're not personally responsible. We actually have a ticket out of here, all we need to do is wait for our government to take control over this place and free us once I've got the message out. They'll get all of us and the Green team out of here. You can take it up with our leader when he gets here," said Tom.

"Good! Because I have a few choice words for him! Most of them involve him being an effing bee who should go die!"

_"Time for a new challenge!" _chirped Larry.

"Get lost, you TOSSER!" screeched Emmeleine. "I'm not talking to any of you!" She pointed at the six boys and folded her arms, turning her head away.

The door opened and the group walked out, ready for their next challenge.

**X**

_"That's a good idea." _thought Eotef. _"But how would I get out of here if I did it? I wouldn't. Best just to get up and continue working here, until I have a chance at escape."_

He pulled himself up, still cradling his head. It throbbed painfully, but the excruciating part was over. Just to test it, he moved his limbs and neck around, to feel for any pain. None, except where he had been hit. That was good.

Eotef set off down the hall to the nearest sink. There were hundreds of these scattered around the base, for the Medical Technicians to wash their hands before cutting tubes and treating other EHTs for injuries. He grabbed a handful of paper towel, pressing it to the back of his neck. He was going to have the biggest headache in the morning.

_"Will 8-1-12-15 please come to the Superior's office? I repeat, 8-1-12-15 to the Superior's office. Thank you."_

"What does he want now?" grumbled Eotef, throwing the towel away. Leaning over the sink, he washed his neck and rubbed some water through his hair. He couldn't go in there covered in drying blood. After drying himself off with another few paper towels, he headed off.

**X**

Eotef walked into the boss' office, where there was a woman sat at a computer. She was his assistant, and was typing up a bar graph of success and failure rates.

"Hey 8-1-12-15. Go right in, he's expecting you."

She smiled at him.

"Thanks, 3-9-11-17."

Eotef walked towards a wooden door, placing his hand upon the silver doorknob. He wrapped his fingers around it, pulling sharply downwards. Slowly pushing the door open, he poked his head around it and peered into the office.

"Hello?" he asked, glancing around. As usual, his boss - Kalemi - was sat at his desk, looking over charts of things, troop behaviour, surveys and so on.

"Come in." Without looking up, he said "I have another field mission for you."

Eotef had to restrain himself from cheering. He'd have a chance of escape!

"Really?"

"Don't ask questions, just take your file and go."

The Boss-Dude held out a yellow cardboard file to Eotef, who took it gently. Bowing his head in respect, he backed out of the door.

"Sweet," he whispered to himself, rushing out to a bench opposite the room. He sat down on it, and opened the file to see his new job.

_"Destination: Disney Castle. Objective: Assassinate King Mickey and bring his heart back."_

"Right. Well, I'd better get to work." Eotef stood up, walking back to his bunk. Opening the steel door, he grabbed a black coat from a hook on the wall, replacing it with his labcoat. He tossed the new coat onto his bed, and washed the back of his neck again to ensure he had gotten rid of all the blood. He opened a cupboard on the wall and changed his shirt, as the one he had just worn was coated in the congealing purple liquid.

Eotef grabbed the coat, shrugging it on and tucking the file into an inside pocket. Now he was ready to leave.

**X**

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_Sola sat on the floor of the living room, eating a biscuit while watching TV with her father. Spit was running down her hands as she nibbled at each side, taking only a millimetre off at a time and making the crumbs stick to her. She didn't seem to notice or care about the mess, her eyes glued to the idiot-box in front of her. _

_"Sola, you're making a huge mess," said Salo, as his daughter let her drool run down her arm._

_"Don't care, I like the cookie," she gurgled in her four-year-old voice._

_"I know you like the cookie, but you're getting it all soggy. Not to mention you're covered in your own saliva." Salo grimaced as Sola licked up her arm, reclaiming the lost spit and swallowing it as though it was water._

_"Mmm, yummy."_

_He gagged and stood up, walking into the kitchen and getting a paper towel. He ran it under the tap and returned to the couch, wiping his daughter's arm thouroughly. Salo cleaned her forearm and upper arm, the palm of her hand and wiped between her crumb laden fingers. This annoyed the toddler, as she had planned to eat those crumbs after finishing off the body of the biscuit._

_"Kids are disgusting sometimes," he said to himself, tossing the paper into the kitchen bin._

_"But you loooooooooove me," said Sola, pulling herself to her feet with the arm of the sofa and beginning to bounce up and down._

_Salo smiled, but as he turned around he saw that Sola had slipped, her little arms flailing as she went to grab the arm of the sofa again. She squealed, not prepared for her body to hit the ground. Luckily she didn't have to be, because in that instant Salo had jumped from his position in the kitchen and caught her before she landed. _

_"Phew, that was close," he said, sitting her back on the sofa. She had suffered only one minor wound, a burn from the upholstery on her left arm. Sola burst into tears and grabbed his shirt, alarmed that she could have suffered much more grevious injuries._

_Salo put a hand on her back and one on her head, gently rocking her in an effort to calm her down. Even though he was very young to be a parent to two toddlers, he knew the best ways to comfort Sora and Sola when they were distressed. It was just something that came naturally to him, and something Sara always admired. Even from the moment of the twins' birth, he had known how to hold them, how to soothe them and just generally what they required to be happy._

_"Daddy, I was scared!" she cried, tears staining his shirt._

_"I know, I know. Shh, it's going to be okay, you're safe now."_

_Sola snuggled against him, her brown hair falling over her face. "Promise you'll always protect me. Promise you'll never go away."_

_Salo drew in a breath. Neither Sora or Sola had ever said anything like that before. But he knew this was a promise he had to make._

_"I promise, Sola. No harm will come to you as long as I'm there. You're my baby girl, you'll always be my baby girl, and I'll always be your father. I'll protect you for my entire life, and that is a fact."_

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

**X**

Ares, Zexion and Axel got to the children's home just in time to see Naminé tossed out on her arse. Literally.

"Ouch!" she cried, as her backside smashed against the paved street. Naminé slowly rose to her feet, rubbing her bottom with a grimace on her face. Ares clapped a hand over her mouth and giggled a bit.

"She bounced. Just a little," she said, walking over to her. "Hey, Nami. What was that about?"

"Oh, hey guys. I got smacked in the face, and when they saw I was a Nobody, well, here I am. You win, Zexion. You were right, I can't handle this on my own."

Part of Zexion wanted to cry out: "Wow, a woman admitted she was wrong! Stop the presses!" He would have, if Ares wasn't there. Instead, he said: "Hey, you lasted pretty long in there. It probably wasn't your fault you were exposed."

Naminé seemed a little surprised at this, but nodded. "Thanks."

"Naminé, we found out something important. You know the Elite Heartless Troops? They're bad news, worse than we thought. They're powerful enough to take Ares' power away from her."

Ares agreed. "Now I can't do jack-all."

"We should get to the bottom of it. What do we know so far?" asked Naminé, picking up her bag, which had been tossed onto the pavement beside her. She began to walk forward.

The group wandered through the town, Axel and Naminé at the front. Naminé because she was still scared of Zexion and Axel because he was oldest and could offer more security at the head of the pack. Zexion and Ares walked side by side, shoving eachother in the shoulder.

Ares giggled as she pushed Zexion into a wall, and he laughed when he knocked her against a crate.

"What is with you two? You're like children," said Axel, who had been discussing the EHTs with Naminé. Both the redhead and the blonde turned around in time to see Ares whack Zexion up the side of the head. He just laughed, poking her in the neck, causing her to press her face on her shoulder to stop the tickling sensation. She responded with a rough shove, still giggling.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you guys liked eachother," said Naminé, observing as Zexion grabbed Ares around the waist with one hand to hold her still while he tickled her neck with the other. The sudden comment from Naminé made them break apart.

Zexion cleared his throat. "Of course we like eachother. We're best friends." He noticed a significant change of colour in Ares' skin, from her usual one to crimson red.

"Yeah. If I didn't like Zexion, he'd know by now. I'd have killed him long ago."

"Remember when you tried to?"

"Oh, happy days."

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_Ares was going nuts in this castle. Everyone told her what to do all the time, she had no freedom, except to wander around. There were places she wasn't allowed, one hall where she was barred. She had no desire to go there, anyway. Probably more freaky Organization people down there._

_She was wandering through the halls when she happened upon Zexion. Ares was pissed off at being brought there. Wasn't there another place he could have taken her? Like a town, or something? Thoughts raced through her mind. He'd probably done it on purpose, just to laugh at her. Rage began to build inside her._

_Grabbing the nearest object, a white vase, she ran at Zexion with it, screaming every curse word that ever existed and more._

"_Freaking stupid (too rude to pass on)!" _

_Ares cursed more when she got closer, screaming at the top of her voice. Zexion just stood there, looking at her like she was a moron._

_Before she was close enough to hit him with the vase, she found that Larxene had snatched it from her hand. Ares was knocked to the ground with a shove._

_"Learn to control your little monkey," she said, tossing the porcelain piece to the ground, where it shattered._

_"Leave her alone, Larxene. She's just angry because she doesn't want to be here." _

_Larxene shrugged, opening a portal and disappearing._

_Ares looked up at Zexion, slightly mad that her plan didn't work, and that the guy she had just tried to kill was helping her out. "Thanks, I guess."_

_"Thanks for not killing me," said Zexion, nonchalant. _

_Ares couldn't help but smile at that. "Remember, it's a privilege, not a right."_

_This made Zexion chuckle. "Well, I'll have to make sure I deserve to stay alive." He sighed. "Look, do you need something to do?"_

_Ares hoped this wasn't one of those play-on-words questions where he would say "Well, why don't you do me?"_

_"Yep. Bored."_

_"Obviously. People who are entertained don't usually attack others with vases. Come on, I could do with some help in the lab."_

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

"That was the day we became friends," said Zexion. "You spent the entire time asking me what stuff was, and then a question about the sodium chloride led to talking about salty food, which led to our favourite stuff, which led to talking about our lives, which led to talking about friendship."

"Yep!" said Ares, linking her arm up with his, forgetting the awkwardness of a few moments ago.

Axel raised his eyebrows. "You two are freaks." Then to Naminé. "They love eachother." The blonde nodded, noting with a smile that the two immediately broke apart again at hearing those words.

"No, we don't!" insisted Ares, blushing again.

"Guys, we're not dumb. Zexion would never subject himself to that 'BFF' stuff if he didn't like you as more than that. And if you weren't that close, you wouldn't always be flirting," said Axel.

_XxSNIPPETSxX_

_Sora saw Zexion, who in turn was looking at someone else._

_They approached him, and heard him talking._

_"Holy crap," he said, looking at the girl stood opposite him._

_"I agree," she said._

_They both snapped out of it._

_"Ares! It's good to see you again!" he said._

_"I second that! Except with you replacing me, and me replacing you." Ares had used a portal to get to the Castle._

_"You dyed your hair!"_

_"So did you!" said Ares._

_**Noticing when she changed her hair.**_

_XXX_

_"What are we going to do to help?" asked Ares._

_"I don't know. You're the one with a heart." _

_"So? Although Nobodies have no physical heart, I reckon they have an emotional heart." _

_"You're deep."_

_"I know I am. Any ideas?" she asked._

_**Compliments.**_

_XXX_

_"My parents like weird and uncommon names."_

_"Same here. Why do you think I was named after the Greek god of violent war, bloodlust, slaughter and chaos?"_

_"Because they knew you liked to shoot things?" asked Zexion._

_"Don't make me shoot you (...)"_

_**Playful threats.**_

_XXX_

_"Crap." he said, his hand now gushing. It looked like he was wearing the uniform Organization XIII gloves again, as his hand was now totally covered in his own black blood. Ares looked up at him. She saw him dripping onto the illusional sand, and his weakness caused the illusion to fade away. _

_"Zexion! You're losing too much blood!" she cried, pointing at his hand._

_"Really, I hadn't noticed." he said. He lifted his head to look at her. He smiled a small, weak smile. Struggling, he stood up, and continued to fight. _

_"Urgh, I feel lightheaded," said Zexion._

_Sora gave him a bone shattering blow to the ribs, yet it barely even hurt him. For Zexion, it was open wounds that weakened him, like when the Riku Replica had drained most of his life force, then stabbed him. Luckily Ares had been watching, and saved his life with a Curaga spell. Now, she had all the helpfulness of a chocolate teapot._

_"Let me help him!" cried Ares, trying to turn around on the dirt. "He's all I have! Let me help! Please!"_

_**An extreme fear of loss.**_

_XxEND OF SNIPPETSxX_

Both of them blinked with realisation. They WERE close, and with Zexion's serious nature, he would never do anything like that unless he felt really close to her. But neither said anything, just distanced themselves from eachother in case Axel said something else which would make them blurt something out, something they couldn't take back. With all the crap they were dealing with, they didn't need awkwardness to top it off.

"So, about those EHTs. What can we do? Do we stop searching?"

"No, we keep searching. We just COUPLE up our workloads," said Axel, looking over his shoulder.

"Shut up, Axel," said Ares.

"Sorry, am I bringing you desPAIR?"

Naminé smiled. For an Organization jerk, Axel could be pretty amusing.

"Or perhaps you're afraid we might COMMIT a crime while we search for Roxas and the guys."

"Do you mind? This is embarrassing enough already."

"Calm down, no need to be afraid of anything. Don't be afraid to emBELLish what you already have."

"I'm done talking with you."

"I don't want to shut up. But I'm afraid that if I don't, you might VOW revenge."

"I'm gonna kill you in a second," said Zexion.

"Oh, I hope it isn't like in that movie. You know, VALENTINE."

Neither of them said anything, and Ares tripped over a loose brick. She would have fallen over, had Zexion not grabbed her arm at the last second.

"What was that? It sounded like someone falling HEAD OVER HEELS."

Ares and Zexion exchanged glances, silently asking eachother: "When will he shut up?"

**X**

_XxFLASHBACKxX_

_"Daddy!" screamed Sola, sat outside in the sun. She was crying heavily, looking at her teeny leg. A small piece of aluminium, about the size of a thumbnail, was stuck in her calf. Blood dripped from it and down her leg. "DADDY! HELP ME! IT HURTS!"_

_Salo dropped what he was doing immediately, running down to her position at the bottom of the garden. _

_"What is it?" he asked, kneeling down. He drew a breath in through his teeth as he regarded the injury. "I'll be back in a second. Don't move an inch."_

_He ran back inside the house, snatching up some bandages, gauze, disinfectant and a pair of tweezers. He also grabbed her favourite toy, the princess Barbie._

_Sola had done as he said and sat stock still. When he returned he handed her the doll._

_"Yay, my Barbie!"_

_"Okay sweetie, this might hurt a bit. Just play with Barbie while I fix this for you." Salo placed the tweezers around the metal, pulling it out with a single skillful yank. Sola screamed, but the worst was yet to come. Salo put disinfectant on some gauze and pressed it on, making her scream even more. He quickly wrapped the bandage tightly over it._

_"Why does fixing it hurt?!"_

_"It's better than leaving it to get infected." Salo picked up all the stuff and lifed Sola off the grass, taking her inside._

_"What happens then?"_

_"Oh, lots of really icky stuff. First, it hurts like crazy, and then lots of green snot comes out and covers everything you touch. Then you throw up all your food and feel really gross!" Salo emphasised every word._

_Sola shook her head, pigtails bouncing. "Ew!"_

_"I know, it is, isn't it?"_

_XxEND OF FLASHBACKxX_

**X**

Eotef walked through the green shrubbery of the Disney Castle gardens. It smelt like Spring, the intermingling scents of daisies, roses and lavender. He took a deep sniff. Nothing matched it.

Sighing, he knew what he had to do. There was no honour in it, no shred of pride would be left after he commited the act. He patted the folder on the inside of his coat.

_"It's him or me. But I'm more important, even if I have to kill him to survive. He's no one, anyway. There's no place for him."_

Walking through an archway in the gorgeous horticultural display, Eotef found himself on a staircase on the inside of the castle. A red runner with gold edges was draped over the steps, extending up and into a hall. Two doors branched off of it, one to the library and the other to the throne room. The latter was the first place to look.

Eotef knocked upon the large purple door, and a smaller one opened, granting him access to the ginormous room. He smiled as he regarded it in all of its splendor, the white walls and floor with another runner leading right up the the large throne. The twin statues of Donald Duck and Goofy, standing guard behind a banner with the King's Seal printed on the red background in black.

And then there was the man himself, with his hand on the head of his faithful hound, Pluto. Eotef saw King Mickey visibly tense, right hand poised to summon his Keyblade. The sovereign drew his eyebrows down, scrutinizing every move that the EHT made.

Eotef simply chuckled to himself.

"No matter what you see, it isn't how it seems, your Majesty," he said, bowing low with respect. King Mickey relaxed his arm for a moment, but then tensed up again, preparing to spring off his throne and fight for his life.

Eotef drew himself back up.

"I'm not like this by choice, your Majesty. I'd rather be anything but... To change that, I need your help."

_"A Heartless needing help from me? What's this about?"_

Eotef continued. "I have information on a new set of advanced Heartless, the EHT; that's Elite Heartless Troops. In fact, I'm one of them. Besides that, I was sent here on a mission to kill you."

Mickey sprung from his chair, summoning his Keyblade. Eotef wisely stepped back.

"But I won't do it. I don't want to help them any more than I already have. Let me explain to you. I'm on your side, and I come here to ask for assistance."

"You have two minutes," said the King. "But if I don't like what you say, I'm bringing in the Royal Guard."

"Fair enough. But oh, it's a fantastic story. You're gonna love it."

Eotef retold his entire tale to the King. What he had done, what he had gotten away with not doing, why he was there, the numbers of the EHT, how they were made, and how they could be destroyed. Everything was explained. It took a lot more than one hundred and twenty seconds, but King Mickey was so absorbed by what Eotef said that he didn't notice.

"Welp, all that makes perfect sense. I'm willing to help ya."

"Thank you, your Majesty! You have no idea how much this means to me!" said Eotef, jumping and punching the air.

The King smiled. "Anything for an ally. So, we need a plan to do this..."

**X**

The Red and Green teams entered the arena, which this time was set up as an obstacle course. There were hurdles, holes, a balance beam, and other assorted challenges spread out around the area.

"This one's for Tim," said Redmond, and Tim smiled. He knew he would be good at this.

It seemed that Green had already selected theirs, the resident blonde, Xolas. Larry was onscreen, trying to give instructions, but Xolas was harrassing him.

"_Larry's a freak who looks like a llama, Larry's a jerk who no one loves! Larry, oh Larry, you pathetic little man!" _she was singing, accompanying it with some exaggerated dance steps. Her team was laughing, and to everyone's amazement, Emmeleine began to laugh too.

Xolas stopped singing and stared. "What was that? It just got colder in here, because Hell just froze over!" she said.

_"Okay, not that the annoying little monkey has ceased her dancing, we can get on with it. Welcome to _GamesMaster_! Today, our participants will be running an obstacle course for the reward of freedom!"_

Everyone exchanged glances.

"Freedom? Sah-weet!" cried Landusoi, jumping in the air with glee.

"Okay, I'd better not screw this up," said Tim, now a little worried.

"You screw up, I kill you in your sleep," said Emmeleine, her seriousness now returning for the duration of the game.

"Wow, that's encouraging," said Henry, and Redmond snickered.

_"Okay, choose your representatives."_

"Tim!" cried Emmeleine.

"Xolly-Lolly!" exclaimed Serena, taking Xolas' wrist and raising her hand up. Xolas whooped.

"You're getting your arses kicked!" she said, pointing at the Red team.

"Not likely!"

"We'll see about that!"

_"Take your marks on the yellow line."_

Xolas and Tim stood side by side, facing the hurdles; the first obstacle.

"May the best man win," said Tim. "By that, I mean me."

"Yeah, well good luck against me. The last person who crossed me got shot dead." Xolas stuck her tongue out, and saw a look of competitiveness wash over Tim.

"Well, you don't know how important I am back home."

"I helped save the universe," bragged Xolas.

"I can take out three adults with my bare hands."

"I died once."

"...You win this round."

"And I'll win every round."

_"On your marks. Get set."_

Tim and Xolas felt their muscles tense, getting ready to swing their legs over the hurdles.

_"Go!"_

Both of them felt adrenaline surge through their veins, making them throw themselves forward. The muscles in their arms and legs pumped away, moving them quickly over the ground.

Tim reached the hurdles first, easily getting his legs over them. It was a total breeze, and he looked to his right; where Xolas was managing to keep up. Her movements were more clumsy, and she tried not to think about what she was doing. The second she did, she knew she would trip.

Breaking free of that particular obstacle, Tim stopped at a big section of floor covered in carpeted squares. He examined it carefully.

_"This looks too easy. There must be something wro-"_

His thoughts were cut off as Xolas bounded out onto it... and immediately fell down an unsupported square.

"Yeep!" she cried, throwing up her arms.

"Okay, so I'll just test each one first." Tim placed a foot onto a square at his left. Finding that it was secure, he stepped onto it and tested the next one.

Down below, Xolas looked around, observing which of the tiles were supported. Then, climbing a ladder which lead back to the start of the obstacle, she began to leap expertly across.

"What?!" cried Tim, beginning to follow her with his eyes. Blue, red, green, red, yellow, orange, purple, green and she was at the other side. He began to follow the same pattern.

When the two were over, they ran to the balance beams. Xolas climbed onto it, swaying slightly in her efforts to stay balanced. Tim simply strolled over it as if it were secure, low ground.

"How can you do that?" asked Xolas, wobbling dangerously.

"Practice makes perfect," he answered, dismounting and running over to the next obstacle. It was a large metal door with a lock in the form of a semi-spherical hole.

"What's all this, then?" he mused, leaning closer to look. Xolas walked to an identical door.

"What do we do here?" she asked, turning the the smirking onscreen Larry.

_"You have to plug the hole with something. Improvise."_

"Piss off."

Tim and Xolas began to rummage in their pockets, searching for anything that might help. He dug his hands into his jean pockets, then remembered something he had put in his jacket to eat if he wasn't the one chosen. An orange. Spherical.

Xolas inwardly rejoiced as she found a huge fourteen piece pack of gum. She put five pieces into her mouth, chewing furiously. Then she saw Tim trying to open the door with an orange, just pressing it against the hole again and again, getting more frustrated.

"Why won't this damn thing just open?!"

"Maybe becoosh yer doin 't ron," said Xolas, trying to talk and chew at the same time. She spat the spearmint gum back out, pressing it against the door. Then she stuck another five sticks in her mouth and began chomping again.

"How could I be doing it wrong? Orange, round. Hole, round. Door should open!"

Xolas shrugged and tossed in another stick.

"Go Xolas!" cried Zoe. "Chew that gum!"

Xolas gave her the thumbs-up and spat the contents of her mouth back out. She pressed it against the door and cried out with joy as it opened. Running through, she went on to the next obstacle.

Tim shrugged and just ran through her door, pausing momentarily to glance at the slippery green glob of saliva coated gum. He shook his head in disgust.

The next obstacle was an open area, which Tim considered suspicious. It couldn't be this easy. But he saw Xolas ahead of him, and stepped out.

Xolas was carefully wandering over the ground, wary of any threats that may erupt. She gasped when she saw a green square light up ahead of her, and then heard a loud noise above.

She onto the square as a huge net crashed down. She had positioned herself beneath a hole in it, successfully avoiding capture. Tim had seen it ahead and done the same.

The whole while this was going on, Tom had his hand in his pocket. He was pressing a red button on a plastic base, though for what reason was unclear to anyone but him.

_"This is a good spot," _he thought _"The signal just might get out from here. Our bunk is too far away, but the arena is elevated."_

As Xolas ran forward again, her foot got caught in the net and she tripped over.

"Oof!" she said, as her body contacted with the ground. Tim was able to escape that fate, and was stood at the next obstacle by the time Xolas got up.

She soon joined him, with indentations of the net on her arms and legs.

The next obstacle was a stretch of water about ten metres long. There were several soft foam platforms, with water already seeping into them.

"I know what we do here. We jump across and if we stay on one too long, it sinks," said Tim, jumping onto the first platform. It wobbled slightly in the water, but he successfully escaped getting wet. Xolas wasn't so lucky. It slid out from beneath her, and she fell into the pool of water. To her dismay, by the time she got out, Tim was across the finish line.

"Yes! We win!" said Tim, and Xolas walked back to her team with a sad expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, guys, I blew it," she said.

"It's okay," said Roxas. "You tried your best, but we'll get it next time."

_"Here it is, your freedom!" _ came Larry's voice.

A cameraperson tossed a small package at the Red team, and Redmond picked it up.

"What the heck?!" he cried, throwing it down again. "We didn't think you meant THAT kind of Freedom!"

It had been a package of erm, female supplies.

_"You assumed I meant you would get let go. That only leads to danger."_

The Green team were laughing hysterically at the Reds, Serena even falling to the ground and cackling maniacally.

_"Come back soon for the next episode of _GamesMaster_!"_

**X**

"Okay, so we double up our jobs," said Axel. "We do half the work to find Roxas and Pals, and the other half to research the EHT. A perfect MARRIAGE of concepts."

Zexion groaned. "That's really getting old, Axel."

"Not for me," giggled Naminé. It wasn't often that the redhead was amusing to her, most of the time he scared the crap out of her. And the fact that he was teasing a guy who scared the crap out of her all the time was a huge bonus.

"But I LOVE teasing you."

"I'm gonna kill you in a minute," said Ares, still blushing and trying to avoid looking at Zexion.

"Okay, I reckon we should go to Radiant Garden again. We can check with the HBRC if anything's come up, and we can research in the library about the Heartless," said Zexion, trying to change the subject.

"That's not a bad idea. Okay, we'll head there."

Zexion opened a portal to Radiant Garden, glad that the subject had been effectively changed. They reappeared outside Merlin's house.

"Okay, I'll go research in the library. You three can go in and get them to run another scan for the gang."

"I'll go with you," said Ares, turning to Zexion. "I need some more ammunition for Angel and Demon." She patted the guns under her shirt, in case Swifty had come and somehow pinched them again.

"Alright, come on."

**X**

Zexion sat in a chair in the library, looking through the Ansem Reports. He had both sets spread out before him, and was concentrating on finding information on how the manufactured Emblem Heartless were made.

Ares was nearby, rubbing the barrel of Angel with a cloth. She was giving it a much-needed clean, as after many uses and battles, it had gotten dirty.

"Found anything?" she asked, pulling the magazine out. Ares put three more bullets in, taking it back to its capacity of fifteen. She flipped her newly-dyed purple hair over her shoulder, still slightly damp from the water she had used to rinse the excess off with.

"Maybe. Listen to this. 'As a start, I have built a device that artificially creates Heartless. By recreating the conditions that spawn the Heartless naturally, I should be able to produce them artificially. This device is the culmination of all my research thus far. The machine's test run successfully created a Heartless'. This is from the report your dad wrote."

"So, the EHT could have something similar?" asked Ares, feeling an overwhelming desire to punch her father in the face. Ever since he had left her family, had another kid, left that family, lost his memory, regained it and gone pyscho with all the experiments, she had grown to hate him completely. At least he wasn't there to bother her anymore.

"Yeah, that Smash guy mentioned it. Generation Machine."

"Oh, yeah."

"Yes, but I think the EHT are using something more powerful. There's no need to make the weaker Heartless, and those two had the Heartless Emblem on their clothes." Zexion looked up with realisation. "They're building an army."

"WHAT?! But that's bad! Really, really bad!"

"I know. We have to tell the HBRC, get a message to the King. If we're going to halt their production and wipe them out, we need to move fast," said Zexion. His eyes fell on a couple of words on the pages, as he stood up.

_"I have made a grave error. The research plans I made about the "darkness in the heart", beginning with meagre psychological experiments, have rapidly grown immensely. As enthusiastically advised by my youngest disciple Ienzo, I have prepared a grand-scale research laboratory below the castle. Unbeknownst to me, my six disciples gathered a great amount of test subjects and began dangerous experiments into the darkness of the heart. As soon as I found out about this, I gathered my disciples and ordered a stop to the research, and to discard the results thus far. What has happened to the hearts of the six who were once my loyal disciples? While pursuing the mystery of the darkness in the heart, did they themselves lose their way in the darkness?"_

_"No; it wasn't your mistake." _ thought Zexion "_I shouldn't have gone along with Xehanort. It was my fault."_

"Zexion! Are we gonna go, or what?" asked Ares. "The clock's ticking!"

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Uh, yeah. I'm coming."

"Thick as a brick."

"Whatever." Zexion gathered up the papers, placing them into a file and tucking it under his arm. "I'll keep these handy for a while, in case we need them again."

"Okay." Ares slotted everything back into place, holstering Angel and Demon, and putting some spare ammunition into a pouch on her belt. "Did you find anything else interesting?"

"Well, I read that I was a traitor to Ansem the Wise and an idiot of the highest grade, but I knew that already." he said with a smile.

Ares rolled her eyes. "You're so melancholy; yet you smile while you lament."

Zexion raised his eyebrows as he walked past her. "Poetic. Nice."

Then he stopped. "Wait. A generation machine! I'm so stupid! I read that experimental blueprints had been stolen a few years ago! They must have made other machines from the layout!"

"Wait, so they have rooms full of those Heartless-making machines?"

Zexion nodded.

"Then, that means they're mass producing! Imagine all the people they'll be taking to make EHTs!" cried Ares, eyes full of sympathy for the abductees. "Thousands!"

"Oh, my God, you're right! You need hearts to make Heartless! We have to tell everyone, right now!" Zexion grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the castle, through the valley and back to the town.

**X**

"Sora? It's for you," said Sara, holding up the phone.

The teenager was about to object, but then realised it could only be a friend from another world. He walked over and took the reciever.

"Hello?"

_"HEEEY!"_ screeched Yuffie. Sora could hear her jumping up and down on the other end. _"IT'S BAD, REALLY REALLY BAAAAD!"_

Sora smiled at he heard Cid add: _"No points for subtlety."_

"What's really really baaaad?"

_"Too hard to explain."_

_"I'll do it," _came Zexion's voice.

_"Okaaay, Zexy'll do it!"_

Zexion groaned on the other end of the phone, at once again being called 'Zexy'.

"Hey, Zexion," said Sora.

_"Hello. There's something we have to tell you."_

_"SOMETHING REALLY BAAAAD!" _

_"Yuffie, would you go over there?" _Yuffie's footsteps were audible as she walked to the other side of the room, where Aerith's flowerpots were. _"Now bury your head in the soil ostrich-style and stop talking."_

"Let me guess, you have bad news."

_"How'd you know?" _asked Zexion, in mock surprise.

"I had a hunch."

_"Was it a hyperactive ninja hunch?"_

"Yep."

_"Okay, to the news."_

_"The BAAAAD news!"_

_"I give up. Okay, Sora. It seems there's a new breed of Heartless. Humanoid, strong and manufactured. We have reason to believe that they're building an army. Oh, another thing. That Halo guy you met, he's one of them. If you see him, be on your guard."_

Sora almost dropped the handset, as his mouth opened in shock. "Whaaaat?! I think my brain just imploded!"

_"I know." _Zexion re-explained the story to Sora, as he had countless times before with other people. He was growing tired of it.

Sora's mouth dropped more and more open with every sentence.

_"So we need you to go and tell King Mickey."_

The brunette nodded, before realising that they couldn't see him. "Yes, I'll do it."

_"Told you it was BAAAAD!"_

**X**

Sora knocked on his sister's door, and he walked in when she replied.

"Come in."

He leaned on the doorway. "Sola, how do you feel about another adventure?" he asked.

She jumped up from her bed. "What kind of adventure?"

"We have to tell King Mickey something. I can go alone, but I thought I'd see if you'd like to tag your ugly butt along."

"Of course I do!" said Sola, then drew her eyebrows together. "Hey! I do not have an ugly butt!"

"Ooh, your pride is so easily wounded."

"You'll need plastic surgery when I'm done with you!"

"You already do. Haha! Lemme get you some cream for that massive BURN!"

Sola smiled. "How long will this adventure take?" she asked.

"Not long. Probably less than a day, but there is a risk that we'll get tangled up in a web of fighting and evil plots."

"What's adventure without risk?! I'm so there!"

"I knew you'd say that. Alright, let's give Riku and Kairi a bell."

**X**

Again, the group of four met on the front lawn of the Katamori home. Each had a backpack slung over their shoulders, full of munny, potions and other essential items that a Keybearer may require to kick arse.

"Okay, you guys actually ASKED, right?" asked Sola.

"Yeah," said Riku, stretching his arms. "I guess I worried them last time."

"I asked, too. I really freaked them out before," added Kairi. She gave the twins a smile as she nodded.

"Okay, seems we're good to go." Sora did a quick three-sixty of the area before blowing the gummi ship whistle.

It obediently swooped from the sky and hovered in front of them, allowing each teenager to clamber in.

"I can't believe I'm finally gonna see Disney Castle! A real castle with a king, and a queen!" said Sola, practically bouncing up and down on the spot.

Sora chuckled at her. "We could stick some handlebars through your neck and sell you as a pogo stick."

She reached out and yanked his hair.

"Ouch! Truce!"

Kairi and Riku smiled at them. They were pretty much the standard brother-sister package. Each annoyed the other, pulled eachother's hair and got into fights.

"Let's go."

**X**

"Okay, they're going to tell the King," said Zexion, turning back to Axel, Naminé and Ares.

"Well, that's sorted. So, what now?" asked Ares, absently tying a plait in her hair.

"I think I should research a little more. You know, in the hidden laboratory? There will be a heap of documents in there. I know there are some test results, and from that we could calculate the success rates that the EHT will have with their Troops."

"So, should us three keep looking around here?" asked Axel. "We'll leave your ugly butt behind, but what do we do then?"

"Keep looking. It's best for all involved." nodded Zexion.

Ares spoke up. "I'll stay with you. You know how good I am at finding things."

"Okay. Then I think you two should meet up with Lixnus. His message was sent from a world called Itsbon. You can double up with his team."

Axel shrugged. "All right, I guess I'll learn to LOVE that idea." He opened a portal with a chuckle. "After you."

Naminé gave him a cautious half-smile as she stepped in, and Axel followed quickly.

"Why did he put emphasis on 'love'?" asked Rinoa, who had been looking at a map of Spiraiviladiel hung on the wall.

"Because he has an unyielding thought that Zexion and I are together," said Ares, beginning another plait.

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "You should be! I mean, you've been friends FOREVER!"

"Three years, Yuffie, not forever." corrected Zexion.

"So? May as well be forever."

"I don't even have the capacity to feel that kind of thing."

Aki tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Love isn't something you need a capacity for. It's something you can learn."

"Yeah, but I have no emotions. I can't feel it."

"Think about this. You can feel when someone touches your arm, so you can feel. Love isn't really an emotion, it's a feeling. Therefore, you can feel it."

"That's illogical."

"Well, I guess you'll find out for yourself."

"Riiight. Well, we'd better go before this gets any more awkward. Bye," said Ares, ducking out of the door. Zexion followed her.

Soon, they were stood in the lab. Ares rummaged through countless piles of paperwork, trying to avoid papercuts at all costs. That was the last thing she needed in that day. Awkwardness with Zexion, an annoying redhead, and a lecture on love. She didn't need painful hands to be the cherry on top.

Zexion stood examining the drawings on the wall, in case anything helpful was there. His brain read along the letters, storing the words they formed in his brain for future reference. But he wasn't really thinking about it. He was considering what Aki had said.

_"Is there really more potential to my relationship with Ares? I definitely like her. If I didn't, I'd have ditched her ages ago. And I know she likes me, or she'd have slapped me over the face when we met again in Beast's Castle. I mean, it's rare that a girl can be in my company for more than a minute without freaking out. Look at me, I'm a mad scientist! Actually, I'm not, not really. Since Ares came into my life I've stopped the experiments. Now I'm more into football and rugby. WHOO, UP UNITED! Christ, she's changed me a lot. For the better. So there's no doubt that she likes me. But is it just as a friend? Or does she think more highly of me?"_

Ares was also pondering.

_"Was Aki right? She usually is. But could Zexion feel the same way? I'm sure I love him, and that hurts. A lot. I'm not sure what he thinks of me. I mean, in Agrabah he said he needed something to say to me, and I'm still confused about that. But he's been so nice to me ever since we first met. He didn't even mind when I tried to kill him with a vase! What is it about him that I like so much? Ahh, he's so good-looking. And I guess the darkness about him is another contributing factor. Then there's his eyes, and his intelligence, and his skin, and his hair... What's wrong with me?! No Ares, bad Ares! He's just a friend. He'll never be more, so forget your stupid girly dreams and concentrate on your job! I wonder if he's thinking about me too... NO! Stop it, shut up, stupid brain! Bad Ares!"_

Then her eyes fell on some words on the page she held.

_"Emblem Heartless Success Rate."_

"Zexion?" she said, waving the page. "I think I got something."

"What?" he asked, walking over.

She held it behind her back. "If you can get it off me, I'll show you."

_"This oughtta get rid of the tension. A friendly game of 'You-can't-have-it na-na-na-na-na!'." _she thought. _"And it'll make me forget my dumb feelings."_

"I bet it'll be nothing," said Zexion, rolling his eyes. Ares inwardly slapped herself for perving on him again, this time thinking about his eyes.

_"It looks like someone stirred a storm cloud into the ocean... BAD ARES!"_

"You're just chicken because you know I'll win!"

She loved annoying him. Zexion raised his eyebrows.

"What're the rules?" he said, in a challenging voice.

"No jumping or stretching to get it." she answered, grinning with confidence. There was no way he could get it with rules like that! She placed her hands on her hips, the paper crumpling in her left one.

_"How could I get it off her without doing that?!"_

"Come on!" teased Ares.

Zexion grinned. "Oh, I'll get it." He reached out to grab it, but Ares pulled it back.

Without any warning, Zexion placed his right hand on her waist, pulling her closer. She would've asked what he was doing, had she any time to speak. But she couldn't even think, her brain pretty much going on holiday the moment his lips touched hers. Ares' hand loosened in shock, and she dropped the paper on the ground.

They stood like that for a few seconds, before finally breaking the kiss. The two gazed at eachother for a moment, and a slight blush crept over Ares' face as she realised what had just happened.

"That was... I mean... wow." She said, trying to say something which wouldn't make her sound like a total loser, but failing to say anything but a handful of nonsense.

_"Oh great, one freaking kiss and I turn into Miss Can't-Find-A-Word."_

Zexion smiled at her. "Yeah. Wow."

He had no worries about her lack of speech; she was rarely creative with words. He expected her to be a bit lax with the speaking anyway, she HAD just been kissed for the first time. It wasn't like she had a speech prepared.

"And, er... yeah... then we, and I... becau-"

She was cut off by an obnoxious laugh. The two stared in shock at the EHT who had appeared there.

"What the hell?! How long have you been there?!" demanded Zexion, angry that they had been spied upon during the most important event in their relationship.

"Long enough to see you French Xehanort's daughter."

"Hey! Ares has a name!"

"Like I care. I have a name too, but everyone in the base just calls me the Superior's son. That pisses me off!"

"And it pisses me off too, so don't call me that again! It's bad enough having half his DNA swimming around in my body without acknowledging it!" cried Ares, taking a threatening step towards him. Her hand twitched where her Glocks were holstered, eager to whip them out and blow the guy's head open.

"Are you talking about your dad's genes or the saliva you just swapped with Señor Freaky?" asked the EHT, feigning confusion.

Both Zexion and Ares narrowed their eyes.

"Whatever. What the hell do you want?" she asked.

"I simply wish to destroy you."

**X**

"Whoa! Check out these mother-fricking gardens!" cried Sola, touching a topiary bush in the shape of a castle. "Are all castles like this?"

"I don't know. I've been in four, I think," said Sora. "We'd better go see the King, now. The sooner we tell him the better."

Riku and Kairi nodded. "Then we can figure out a way to stop all this crazy rubbish from happening. We could raid their base and smash their stuff," said Riku.

"I LOVE SMASHING STUFF!" cried Sola. Sora raised his eyebrows.

"I'm gonna start calling you Mini-Yuffie."

Sola's outburst had obviously attracted attention, as a figure dropped from the sky and landed right in front of them. Sola stepped back in surprise, smashing into Kairi. Both of them fell over, struggling to get up.

Halo chuckled, shoulders shaking slightly.

"Hey guys. Good to see you again."

Sora summoned the Keyblade, and Riku his Way to the Dawn. Sola shifted herself off of Kairi so that they could also summon their weapons.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, not seeming at all surprised to see them. If anything; he seemed a little glad.

"We should be asking you the same thing. Zexion warned us about you, you're an EHT! You're the ENEMY!" cried Sola.

"Wasn't he also the enemy once? And the chips stack in my favour because I've never tried to kill you."

_"He does have us there. But he could try at any moment."_

"Look you guys. I don't know what you think, actually, I have a rough idea, and it's along the lines of 'Look out, he's gonna kill us'. But I'm on your side, really. I've teamed up with the King."

The four narrowed their eyes.

"Actually, kids, it's true."

Sora, Riku, Kairi and Halo immediately bowed, and Sola quickly followed suit.

King Mickey was up on one of the surrounding balconies, and jumped down to their level. The five brought themselves back up to full height.

"Your Majesty!" said Sora. "We have some news."

"I think I already know. Halo filled me in. But I could use your help," said the King, then his eyes fell on Sola. "Who have we here?"

"I'm Sola, Sora's sister."

"Well, it's nice to meetcha."

"You too! I've wanted to meet you ever since Sora mentioned you. Is it true you have a Keyblade, too?"

"Yup! Well, guys, it's seems we're all a team. We've gotta make a plan to stop the EHT before it's too late."

"How do we do that?" asked Kairi, rubbing her arm where she had landed on it.

"With Halo's knowledge of the EHT base, we could plot a raid and destroy everything they have."

"Then we could corner them and free all the hearts. So, basically, we kill them," said Halo.

Riku considered it. "But we'll be vastly outnumbered." he said.

"I've been vastly outnumbered dozens of times! I was outnumbered when they turned me into a Heartless, and outnumbered in the war in Spiraiviladiel, and I'm pretty much outnumbered in every way every day. But I don't let it scare me. I just fight harder, that's all."

"Okay, so we're all a team now, right?" asked Riku.

King Mickey and Halo nodded.

"So, Halo, what's with all the names?" asked Sola. "Just how many do you have? And why?"

"Recently I've been using three, Eotef, Halo and 8-1-12-15. 8-1-12-15 is my EHT number, and Halo is taken from it because the eighth letter in the alphabet is H, the first is A and so on, and Eotef is taken from it because eight starts with E, one starts with O, et cetera."

"Why do you need all those names? Doesn't it confuse ya?" asked King Mickey, leading the group into the castle. They began to absently wander around the hallways.

Halo shrugged. "Sometimes. But I get over it. I just need to ensure I use the right names, or other people get confused. You guys knew me as Halo, my friends Fono and Hira know me as Eotef, and to everyone else I'm 8-1-12-15."

"What about your original name?" asked Kairi. "You must have one."

"I don't remember it," he lied. Halo pointed to his neck. "Memory filter. I only remember what they want me to."

"Must suck," said Riku, and Halo nodded.

"It does. Nothin' I can do, though. I guess I'll just go with the flow and see where it takes me. You never know, I could end up dying tomorrow. But if that's my destiny, I'll accept it with open arms. But, on the other hand, I could end up with the most wonderful thing in the universe happening to me, and I'll accept that too. I wouldn't count on it, because destiny's messed with me for as long as I can remember."

"You're very laid back about this," remarked Kairi.

"I know. But you can't beat destiny into giving you what you want. So the only sane option is to be dragged along for the ride. It's senseless to battle a force which is so powerful that it could kill you by, for example, making a safe fall out of a plane and land on top of you while you're stood in a huge, empty field. A safe could land on me right this second, and I wouldn't have any grudges."

"I would," said Riku. "If a safe landed on me right now, I'd be insane with rage."

Halo chuckled. "Most would be. But if you don't fight the tide, you'll have enough energy to stay awake and see where it may take you."

Mickey led them to the library to begin some research. "The Alliance of the Worlds has been monitoring Heartless activity, but they have no idea what they're up to. They've been using lesser Heartless as kamikaze attackers, but the more powerful ones are hiding out. We need to get someone in without causing a commotion, or at least weaken them before any action is taken. There are several books with strategies in them through this door. You should read up and see if you can come up with a plan."

**X**

"I simply wish to destroy you."

Ares whipped Angel and Demon out, and Zexion summoned his Lexicon.

"It musta been real hard on your dad, girl. His first kid not able to keep her tongue to herself and his second kid being totally average," he said, going on and not acknowledging the threat that had just been presented.

"Hard on HIM?! You mean hard on US! He walked out on my mother and I when I was one! Then it turned out he had another kid and was MARRIED! How do you think we felt, all of us?! In the end, he BETRAYED everyone who had ever been close to him! I HATE HIM!"

"Whoa, dammit, you're gonna burst a vessel."

"Leave her alone! You don't know what she's been through!" said Zexion, about ready to throw something heavy and spiky at him. Maybe he should conjure up a morning star or something similar.

"Nor do you know where it's been, so don't put your mouth on it."

"I AM NOT AN IT!" screamed Ares, firing Demon madly at him. He just raised his hand, and the bullets bounced off of a sword which appeared. Ares growled, dropping her hands to her sides. "I CAN'T WIN!"

"And that's why it's so funny. Well, time for me to put you out of your misery."

"Shut up, Superior's Son," said Zexion, deciding to distract him.

"It's Phobos, for Christ's sake!" he roared, lunging at Zexion with his hands outretched. Zexion ducked to the side, as the sword pierced the air where he had just been stood.

The sixteen year old grabbed Phobos' wrist, twisting sharply so that he heard a sickening cracking noise. Ares grimaced.

"AARGH! THAT'S MY GODDAMN WRIST!"

Phobos freed himself by hooking his foot around Zexion's leg, pulling forward. The Cloaked Schemer lost his footing for a moment, giving him ample time to get away.

Phobos blinked several times to keep back the tears of pain. He took his sword from his now-useless right hand, and twirled it. "It's a good thing I'm ambidextrous!"

He jumped at Ares, who he struck hard in the ribs with an elbow. She gasped in pain, dropping her guard long enough for Phobos to follow it up with a slash across the arm. That made her screech in agony, as her warm, red blood flowed down her upper arm. Unlike Phobos, she couldn't contain the tears of pain, letting them fall from her eyes.

She saw a glint of purple as the sword arced up over her head, ready to strike down on her shoulder. It could very well cut off her arm.

Zexion jumped between the two, holding up his Lexicon to take the blow. He smirked at Phobos as the Crystal sword bounced right back off with so much force that his arm was dislocated. He dropped the sword as he gasped with the many panic signals flooding through his nerves.

_"Ouch," _ he thought, as the other boy had to use his right arm, with the broken wrist, to pop his shoulder back in.

It was clear that the EHT was in a great deal of pain, trying to hold back his cries, and trying to win with these distractions. His socket made a sickly crack as he forced the bone back into place.

"You know," said Zexion, wheeling around to keep his eyes on the fast-moving guy, who was now circling them. "That leather jacket doesn't suit you at all. A straightjacket would look so much better."

Ares was also keeping her eyes on him, while holding her bruised side and cut arm. She made the rash decision to kick him in the head. Turning her body in a quick circle, she let fly with her right. Ares almost caught him on the cheekbone, but he caught her ankle and twisted, flipping her off her feet and onto her back. She grunted as the air was blown out of her lungs, as her body connected with the ground. The impact resonated through Ares' whole form, making her wince in pain. Phobos let go of her leg, which hit the carpet hard and sent another wave of nerve impulses to her already scrambled brain.

"Hehe, I guess this sight isn't uncommon. You on your back," said Phobos, smirking at her.

Ares drew her eyebrows down. She kicked his legs, making him stumble forward just a bit. She inwardly rejoiced as she realised that his stomach was now in range.

"It... was... one... kiss!" she said, smashing a kick into his torso with each word. Phobos doubled over, and Zexion grabbed him by the hair, hauling him to his feet.

"Where is the base?!" he demanded, raising a fist.

Phobos grinned. "In your ass."

Ares stood up, giving Phobos a sharp uppercut to the chin. When he fell back, she put a foot on his neck. "Tell us where it is!" she cried, about ready to shoot him.

"Bye bye." Phobos teleported away, and Ares fell forward as she lost her footrest. She tripped onto her knees, but quickly pulled herself back up.

"Careful," warned Zexion. "He might still be here."

Ares circled slowly around the room, looking for the EHT. After fifteen minutes of absolutely nothing, the two decided that they were alone.

"Okay, so we got nothing out of that other than being spied on by a bloody Heartless," she said.

"There's nothing worth telling anyone, we didn't learn anything new," agreed Zexion.

He began reaching down to pick up the paper Ares had teased him with. But it wasn't there.

"Crap. Ares, did you put the paper somewhere?"

"What paper?"

"The one you teased me with."

"I dropped it."

"It's gone."

"Shit!" Ares kicked the leg of a desk in fury. "That pervert took it! That could have been very valuable info!"

"Well, we haven't got it now. What now?"

"Call Sora? Tell him?"

"He won't have any purpose for it. We should gather more evidence first."

"Right," said Ares. She wanted to ask Zexion what the deal with them was now, whether they were still best friends or if they were now together, but couldn't bring herself to. Instead, she left it at that.

Zexion was thinking the same thing, but decided not to mention the kiss.

_"I am SO CONFUSED!" _

**X**

The gang of Keybearers sat around in the Disney Castle library, reading as many books on Heartless as they possibly could. Kairi sighed and brushed a piece of hair from her eyes as she reached the fiftieth page of an old, leatherbound book.

"This is hopeless." she said, turning the page again. "There's nothing here that we haven't already been told."

"I got nothing," said Sola, slamming her book shut and strolling over to the shelves to hunt for another one.

The door opened, and Halo walked in. "How's the search going?" he asked, leaning on the doorway.

"Horribly. We either know or can't use anything in these books," said Sora.

"Have you looked for instances of Onyx or acrostic code?" asked Halo, walking to the shelf and plucking out a book.

"What the hell is that?" asked Riku, looking up from a particularly boring volume full of equations.

Halo began to explain it. "Oh, it has an awesome story behind it. There was a man in the 1840's, Alfred Onyx. He was a German man, who tried to speak English. The problem was, he had trouble with pronunciation, and so pronounced every letter by the sound it made. 'Clock shop', for example, would be 'cuh-lah-oh-cuh-cuh sss-hah-oh-pa'."

"So Heartless would be 'huh-ee-ay-ar-teh-lah-ee-sss-sss'?" asked Kairi, sweeping some hair from her eyes.

"Yeah. Onyx code is often accompanied by acrostic code. A few meaningless words are written in Onyx code, like say, 'arefgee oh'. Then you break them up so that they sound like letters. In this case, R, F, G, O. Each letter is the first initial of a word in the acrostic code. It's a little complicated."

Halo wrote something down on a piece of paper.

"There is also acrostic Onyx stepback code. For example, you find something that says "ayembee". You find a passage in the book and try to match the letters represented by the word. Say you find one that looks like this:" He held up the paper.

"It can say 'Amy Baby' or 'Amy my baby'. See? The word 'my' is contained within 'Amy'."

A  
**M  
Y**  
B  
A  
B  
Y

"I get it," said Sora, nodding. "But don't tell me we have to search through all these books doing that."

"No, just remember it. You'd be surprised how many people write in code. Onyx and acrostic are the most common."

Halo began to read the book, bored beyond belief. He chuckled at one point, holding up the book to show a picture of a chimpanzee.

"My boss," he said, pointing at it, and everyone smiled.

"I'm guessing you don't like him," said Sola.

"Who would like a guy who throws lamps at people?" asked Halo, turning the page. "You know what, screw this. I'll go back and then let you in from the inside."

"Good, because I'm sick of reading dusty old things," said Sora, sneezing as more of the age-old powder floated up his nose.

Halo talked to the King about it and they agreed upon a plan. Halo left to sabotage the machines from the inside, and the Keybearers would control the EHT outburst that it would surely cause.

**X**

Brookly fell as the skateboard slipped out from beneath her again. She cried out as she landed on her backside, and just laid back on the floor.

"C'mon, you can't give up now!" coaxed Eamon, taking her hand and helping her to her feet. She had traded in her empire silouette style dress for a pair of shorts and a vest, to enable her to skate more easily.

"I can't do it!" she said, smiling though her butt was throbbing. "I'm hopeless!"

"Yes, you can! Get back on the board and try again."

Eamon was distracted by one of his guards running up.

"Eamon!" cried the thirteen year old, stopping short. "We've picked up a Phantom distress signal from Katana! We think it might be the Six!"

"The, erm, Six?" he asked, scratching his head.

"You were told about them at the last meeting, remember? 'A group of people who could help you, but disappeared from the library some time ago'?" chimed in Brookly, thankful for the distraction.

"Yes, and we can dispatch a search crew to Katana immediately. We just need your approval."

"You have my approval."

**X**

Ares and Zexion joined up with Axel and Naminé again, and agreed to go and team up with the other half of the Organization.

Zexion sent another message to Lixnus.

_To: Lixy_

_From: Zexion_

_Subject: We Should Team Up_

_Lixnus, let's team up. We might have more luck. We're in Hollow Bastion, outside Merlin's house. Get you butt here soon, we're talking within ten minutes._

_Zexion._

"There. They should be here in ten."

"Guys!" cried Yuffie, bursting through the door into the sunlight. "It's not a heartbeat, but the computer's getting a really weird signal! Come see!"

The four trooped inside, and Zexion leaned over to look. Onscreen was a small blip, which was blinking on and off at different intervals.

"It looks almost like... Morse code. Is there paper anywhere?"

Aerith handed Zexion a pad and pen, and he put dots and dashes in accordance with the little light. When he saw that the pattern was repeating, he typed the sequence into the computer to get a translation.

_"World called Katana. Forced to participate in sick game shows. Other five are here. Ten more people eight to a team. Teamed up with two girls and other team has four girls and four guys. One spiky blond hair guy. Girl I think is his sister. Think they know more seem wise. Need help. Weapons block. Disable it and we can take out the staff of the show free everyone. Coordinates one thousand fifty six X two million five hundred thousand and sixty eight Y. Heavily armed bring a couple of squads. We are safe for now but there is risk of getting shot if we fail. We are Phantoms for the love of God. We can't be beaten by a skinny freak."_

Ares gasped. "Phantoms! They're the freaks who attacked Raydran!"

"It seems they're with Roxas and Xolas, and the others, by the sounds of it. They can't be that bad. See? 'Weapons block. Disable it and we can take out the staff of the show and free everyone'. They want to help."

"We need a portal to one thousand fifty six X two million five hundred thousand and sixty eight Y," said Axel, just as the other group came in.

"We know where they are! We picked up a Morse message from a place called Katana. It isn't on any map, so we can assume it was thought destroyed," said Zexion, pointing at the screen.

Demyx, Demetrix and Alex decided to take the message to Disney Castle and act as backup in the event of an emergency.

With a wave of his hand, Axel had opened a portal to the outskirts of the world. The two groups hurried through, finding themselves on the set.

Ares looked down into the arena where the challenges went on. There was a crowd assembling for the next one, and the big screen was showing clips from previous ones.

"It's Roxas!" said Axel, when a clip of him scaling the wall came on. "This is definitely the place."

"It's Roxas!"

"Yes, Axel pointed that out."

"No, it's ROXAS!" said Zexion, pointing down to the arena. Roxas was stood there with his team, and the Red team were next to them. "What the hell happened to his hair?"

"Does it matter? Let's go!" said Lixnus, leaping over the side and running towards them. "Guys!"

Xolas looked up. "Oh my God! Lixnus!" She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him, relieved to be freed from the sadistic game.

Roxas hugged Naminé, and the other six members of the Green team stood around a little awkwardly.

Xolas turned to face them. "Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, we're getting out of here!"

The three whooped with joy.

The Red team exchanged glances.

Tom shrugged. "At least someone got our message. It may not have been Phantoms, but at least someone is here."

"Oh, we got your message!" A group of three descended from the ceiling, cords attached to harnesses. They cut themselves free and landed a few metres away. There were two boys and a girl, each with military haircuts and ranks displayed on their shoulders. "We also bring good news. Snowden Villetto was found alive."

The six boys dropped to their knees, along with the three Phantom rescuers. "In his name, all hail!"

"Okay, this is really awkward," said Xolas, looking at all the people in the arena, the various curious spectators and Larry as he disappeared from the screen.

Ares totally lost her sanity, beginning to yell at the Phantoms.

"Murdering slimeball creeps! Have you any idea how many lives you've destroyed?! My uncle was killed by your scummy drones, and entire worlds have been destroyed by your freaking armies! I HATE YOU ALL!"

"Gee, that's a little harsh," commented Henry.

"NOT BLOODY HARSH ENOUGH! If I had my way, none of you would leave this place alive!"

"None of you will!" came Larry's voice, this time in close range and not from the screen. He was stood across from them, a few guards at his side. "The weapons block is still enabled, so none of you can summon weapons. However, we use nonmagical ones, so we can kill you easily." Larry pointed upwards at a magic-negating tube tacked to the ceiling.

"It's a good thing my guns aren't magic." With that, Ares drew Demon and fired three shots, each piercing the pipe. Everyone summoned their weapons, and Zoe dragged Serena, Landusoi, Selphie, Tidus and Wakka against a far wall and out of the way. Emmeleine grabbed Keye's hand and followed suit, seeing as neither of them had any magic weapons.

The six boys from the Red team each summoned their own weapons.

Henry held a a thin and shiny rapier, light reflecting off of the blade and making it look all the more dangerous. Peggy was supporting a huge shield, composed of slate covered with a boss made of limestone. Tim held a lance by his side, the metal was dull in colour but the tip tapered to an impossibly fine point, one that could probably slice a hair lengthways without too much effort. Redmond had a katana in his hands, stood in a way to say "challenge me, I dare you". Tom was stood with a huge warhammer, a long steel handle supporting a heavy head that was embellished with one round, flat side and one with a vicious spike. Kretowicz was equipped with a strong metal staff that looked like it could deliver some serious damage.

"Huh, if this was a barbecue the invites would say 'BYOBW'. Bring your own badass weapon," said Lixnus.

Larry jumped forwards, slashing at Axel with a short sword. The redhead sidestepped it and drove a knee into the dorky host's stomach, knocking him to the ground. The guards then pounced on the Green and Red teams, but the fight would be over quite quickly.

Tom pulled his warhammer right back, letting fly with a blow that broke the neck of one security guard. The sickening crack resonated in the air for a moment, before all Hell broke loose.

Xolas found her arms gripped by one guard, but Roxas signalled for her to duck. He swung his Keyblade with full force, relieving his sister's captor of his teeth. The next time he opened his mouth, they fell out like Tic-Tacs from an opened box.

"Gross!" said Xolas, looking at the bloodied pile. "At least he's going to get a lot of money from the tooth fairy."

Henry faced off against another guard, swiftly sidestepping to avoid the man's clumsy attacks. "Ha! I've seen children with better swordsmanship!" In three quick movements, he disarmed, knocked over and killed the man. The blood was barely escaping his body before Henry had to fend off another attacker.

Peggy used his shield to block the many kicks of a spectator who had jumped in to become part of the action. When the guy tried again, Peggy pushed his shield outwards as his foot connected with it, knocking the pesky viewer to the floor. Kretowicz took the opportunity to bring one end off his staff down onto him, like one of the out-of-control children whacking a pinata at a birthday party.

The three Phantom troops were hacking and stabbing in every direction, taking out enemies like a machine. Naminé was assisting, throwing all her weight against various foes and knocking them against each other like dominoes.

Tim had already disembowelled a few people, his lance coated in a layer of blood. As Larry got up to lunge at Zexion, Tim whirled around, striking him between his fourth and fifth ribs with it. He let out a faint cry, then fell to the ground.

Redmond was assisting Tom, slicing some stomachs so Tom had a reason to put them out of their misery with a strong whack to the head. Zexion and Ares were squaring off against a group of three, a problem easily solved when he opened a portal beneath one so he'd reappear at the ceiling and fall to his death. They dispatched the remaining two with a mixture of bullets and hand to hand combat.

In all the furore, the rest of the Red and Green teams were trying their hardest not to get involved. On the rare occaision that they were targeted, they managed to fend off their attackers with a few well placed attacks.

People fell. People got back up again. They fell again, and never got up. Arms were sliced. Torsos impaled. Legs broken. Necks snapped. Spells cast. The Red and Green teams suffered more than their fair share of injuries before the battle ended.

After the dust settled, it was apparent who had won. Bodies were strewn across the arena, weak groans still emanating from some until their throats were cut.

"Looking upon the scene surrounding us, one thought springs to the front of my mind: Holy crap, we sure killed a lot of faceless goons!"

"You said it," said Henry, relieved that the people on his side had survived, though with some horrendous injuries. He himself had blood running down one arm and dripping off his fingers. Tom had a few slices carved into his back, Peggy had lost two fingers on his left hand, Kretowicz was fighting to keep some of his blood _inside _ his veins, and Tim was lucky not to have lost an eye, instead recieving a long scar from his jawline up to a millimetre from his eye socket.

The Green team and their allies were similarly injured. Ares and Zexion were both sporting some facial injuries, Roxas had the palms of his hands sliced open and Xolas was inflicted with a long cut down her right arm. Axel had several cuts across his legs and Lixnus' shoulder had a piece of broken sword embedded in it.

Using all the magic they could muster, the group cast _Cura, _ curing their smallest injuries. Although Peggy was no longer bleeding, he would have to live with only six fingers.

"We should get out of here in case they have reinforcements," said Roxas, wiping some blood on his pants. "Guys, come on! We're leaving!"

The Green team ran over, along with Emmeleine and Keye. The three Phantoms gathered up the six boys, fighting through the spectators to the fire escape. They looked over their shoulders for a moment.

"Maybe see you guys around?"

"If you side against us, we will kill you," said Ares.

"Pffft, good luck!"

Xolas looked around at the awed spectators.

"For what you've done to us and others in the past, I hope you rip eachother apart like dogs."

**X**

Emmeleine stood outside the children's home, her hand holding Keye's. The younger girl pulled her namesake pendant out, slotting it into the door and turning it, opening it. The two stepped through and began to work their way through all the corridors to the gym. Keye was glancing around nervously and held Emmeleine's hand tight, afraid to let go.

In the gym, the cliques were stood around, doing their thing. The Preppies were laughing, the Sporties were fencing, and the Arties were sat on the floor.

Bijoux was watching two of her friends fencing when she saw a long shadow cast in front of her. She whirled around, expecting to be annoyed by one of the other groups, but was instead embraced. It took her a second to realise what was happening, but figured out that Emmeleine was back. Her best friend in the whole world had reappeared.

"Holy crap! Emmy! You're alive, I knew it!"

"I never thought I'd see you again," said Emmeleine, her voice choked by sobs. "I watched all the Armies die in the various sadistic challenges, and eventually I was the only one left. Then I was given a new team to fight alongside, and they were friendly, but they were also Phantoms..."

Caetu sat cross legged, colouring in another picture of a pretty young girl. He grunted in annoyance as he realised someone was behind him, probably a Preppie trying to frustrate him.

"Is that meant to be me?" asked Keye, and Caetu's eye widened as he sprang to his feet and turned around.

"Caetlyn!"

"I missed you so much, I was so scared!"

She wrapped her arms around her brother's waist, pressing her face against his jumper.

"Oh, before I forget," she said, looking up at him. "I have a message from Naminé."

**X**

Upon the return of the six boys, there was a Council meeting to decide what to do about the Heartless threat. They didn't even get a chance to rest for a millisecond, being practically dragged to the meeting room. Peggy's blood was drying on his hand, but he resisted the urge to wipe it off. It wouldn't look good in front of the two Villetto brothers.

"I say we just go to war!" said one man.

"Oh, it's ALWAYS war with you!" said another. "We don't need to!"

"What else are we meant to do?" said Tom.

"Ha! You wouldn't last a second! You could've fought your way out of that situation, but you didn't!"

"Hey, speaking of fighting, where's Farene?" asked Eamon, looking around. He knew he was on the Council, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Mocy chuckled. "He thought I was joking about making him into a maid. I saw him hit Brookly again, so I made him take all her jobs and she's outside learning how to fight. She'll take an exam in a few months to see if she's ready to become a guard."

Eamon laughed. "I like your style! Now I see how we're family. Oh, speaking of family, my other one will be wondering where I am."

"Tell you what, if you promise to keep in contact, you can go home today."

"How?"

Mocy reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object. It had a rectangular screen and several buttons arranged like a computer keyboard.

"Take this, you can reach me on it."

"Cool, it's like a phone and a laptop had a baby."

"I'll arrange for someone to take you back after the meeting."

"Thanks, bro."

**X**

Halo sent a text to Sora.

_Ctching nto me. Cme nao. Sverl mchnes brokn, fw 2 go._

He shrugged his white labcoat on and neatened his hair, strolling nonchalantly towards another room. He looked around, and seeing no other EHTs, he swung a hard kick at one of the Generators and it exploded in a shower of sparks.

"Eotef! What the hell are you doing?!" cried Fono, stepping out of the shadows.

"I, uh..."

She gasped. "You're sabotaging our equipment!" Fono smashed a glass box on the wall, mashing a large red button with her fist. An electronic voice began to yell "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"

"Aw, crap!" Halo shoved past her, running from room to room and smashing machines. The footsteps of several armed guards began coming from all directions, surrounding him. Kalemi was at the front of the crowd.

"I knew it was a mistake to create you," he said, sneering.

"Then why'd you do it?" Halo clenched his hands into fists and glared with the force of a thousand vengeful souls. "Why did you need me?"

"You know why. You were a test subject. It was just a bonus that I happened to spot your Other and was able to take action before you left."

Then a Keyblade smashed his face in. Sora had leapt in front of Halo and hit Kalemi, sending him flying backwards.

"Stay away from him!"

The guards loaded their weapons and pointed at the two, only to be stopped by Kairi. With a few well-aimed uppercuts, they had been knocked off their feet.

"That was quick!" said Halo.

"Let's go and smash the rest!"

The group began to run off in all directions, guards hot on their tails. Halo and Sora moved swiftly down the main corridor, swerving into rooms for Sora to throw his Keyblade at the machines before moving on to the next one.

Kairi was cornered in a room by two guards.

"Heh, looks like we found the weakest of the bunch."

"You think I'm weak because I'm a girl?" Kairi proceeded to summon her Keyblade and bust some kneecaps. "That, my friends, is stereotyping!" She leapt over them and out of the door, whacking another EHT in the face as she ran.

Qerry wiped his now bloody nose. "Was that even necessary?!"

"Yes!"

She ran down several side rooms and almost broke Sola's face as they met up again.

"Yah! Kairi! You almost killed me!"

"Sorry. How many have you smashed?"

"Fourteen. LOOK OUT!" Sola pointed down the hall at a tall EHT with a grenade launcher over his shoulder. He took aim at them and fired.

Kairi grabbed Sola's arm and dragged her around the corner, leading her down another hallway where she smashed into Sora. Both of the teens fell to the floor and Sola dragged them both to their feet.

"CRAZYGUYGRENADELAUNCHER! RUUUUUUN!"

"Oh, crap. They've brought out the heavy weapons," said Halo. "Follow me!"

He ran off to a small side hall and pressed his hand against an LCD pad. A door unlocked and he reached in, grabbing a handgun and a box of ammunition.

"If they're using that stuff, we need a ranged weapon."

"Can you even use a gun?" asked Sola, as she and the other two followed him back to the main hall.

"Can I use a gun? Is your middle name Kathirt?"

"How d-"

Sola was cut off as a huge man ran in front of them. A small woman was sat perched on his shoulder.

"This season's must have accessory is apparently a midget woman. It used to be sequins for my generation."

"Laugh while you can!"

"He wasn't laughing, he was stating. By the way, you look stylish!" said Sola, putting on a French accent and pouting. Then she leapt up and knocked her clean off his shoulders with a blow that sent blood running down her face. Sola didn't get away, because a strong kick from the gargantuan man sent her flying across the room and against a wall. There was a framed copy of the EHT security protocol on the wall, and as Sola's body smashed it she sustained a huge injury in her right arm.

She fell to the ground and whined weakly, barely conscious.

"Sora, go help her! Kairi and I will kill this guy!"

Sora ran to his sister's side and sat her up, supporting her head with one hand. Despite a cure spell, she shut her eyes and slipped into unconsciousness.

Halo loaded the gun and began shooting at his joints, while Kairi threw herself across the room in a graceful pattern, designed to confuse and disorient the enemy. He managed to kick her across the room, but unlike Sola, Kairi was sent flying into a corner of the room. She managed to jam her Keyblade between the two intersecting walls and use it as a support bar to launch herself back at him. She raised her blade as she soared right back at him, stabbing down into his shoulder. Halo used the distraction to put a bullet in his head.

"He won't be getting up. Is Sola okay?"

"She's out cold. We're going to have to carry her." Sora stood up and lifted her from the floor. Her head rolled forward onto her chest, which rose and fell with her somewhat pained breathing.

"That will seriously impair our ability to fight. Both of you will become sitting ducks," said Halo. "You need to wake her."

"She's still bleeding." Kairi pointed at a big piece of glass. It wasn't too deep, but blood was still running out, soaking Sora's shirt.

Halo walked over and wrapped a hand around the glass, pulling it out in one quick motion. Sola opened her eyes and cried out, but a hasty cure spell knitted most of the wound.

"My magic must be running out," said Sora. Halo ripped a strip off his labcoat and bound the remaining slice.

"We need to keep going." The group kept walking, avoiding EHTs by hiding in rooms before smashing the machines. They bumped into Riku, who was viciously destroying a whole room.

"How many machines have been destroyed?" asked Halo. Riku and the others added up the total, which came to six hundred and ninety eight.

"How many to go?"

"One. This way," Halo lied. He lead them to a room far away at the other end, allowing the four Keybearers to stab into the machine. It sparked and died.

"Mission accomplished." Sola smiled, despite her blood now soaking through the bandage.

"We'll tell King Mickey and we can all get home." Riku drew his mobile out and dialled the King's number. Afterwards, they all busted their way back out of the entrance.

Halo hesitated as they went to the first district. "I think I'll stay here. I have some business to attend to."

"What kind of business?"

"I have one last mission. It's dangerous, but you know me. I'll be okay."

"Do you need any help?" asked Riku. The four teens watched Halo closely.

"No, no. It's solo," he said, waving a hand in the air. Halo turned around and began to leave the district. "It was nice working with you guys, a real honour."

"Seeya later then!" cried Sola.

**X**

Selphie, Tidus and Wakka awoke in the Secret Place, each with a strange feeling. Before leaving, Roxas and Xolas had removed their green shirts so that the trio were in their own clothing that they had arrived in. Their wristbands had also been removed.

"Wh-what happened to us?" asked Selphie, standing up. "I had the weirdest dream."

"So did I." Tidus helped Wakka up, and they walked out into the sunlight.

"We should get home, it's... oh my God, days have passed!" cried Selphie, looking at her watch.

"What?!"

"Hey, over here! I got them!"

The three looked up to see a team of people in search party vests running up to them.

"Everyone's been looking for you three!" said a woman. "Let's get you back to your parents."

"Wow, we really have had a lucky day. First we find Eamon Gabelo alive, and now you three!"

"What?"

"Eamon tried to drown himself, but we found him further up the beach not an hour ago. He's at his house right now."

"Why would he do that?" asked Tidus.

"People do strange things."

The three were taken back to the mainland, where their parents awaited them.

"Where have you been?" cried Mrs. Tilmitt, hugging Selphie as tightly as she could.

"I don't know! I fell asleep on the Islet, woke up, and days had gone missing!"

"It must have been aliens," said Tidus.

"Don't mess around! You're in big trouble, mister!"

"What else could explain it?" asked Wakka. "Maybe we were drugged?"

"You were drugged?!"

"I said maybe we were."

Needless to say, there was much fussing and hassle over the three.

**X**

Zoe, Serena and Landusoi were delivered safely home, to much joy of their family. Their parents spent five minute just hugging each of them, and Ienzo finally understood a small fraction of the suffering he had brought upon them while he was missing.

"I'm so glad you're all okay!" he said. The three smirked.

"Now you know what it's like to worry!"

"Must you bring that up again?"

"Yes."

"Yay, bruvva and sissies back!" said Isis, gripping each of their legs. When she let go, each sibling had a big patch of spit on the pant legs from where had rested her face.

"Eww!"

Isis took no notice and just giggled.

**X  
**

The four teenagers went back to Sora's house. They sat around in the living room and discussed their latest adventure while playing _First Reality _on the PS3.

"Something doesn't feel right," said Sola. "Halo was unusually blunt today. Especially how he told us there was only one machine left. Wouldn't a nice, round number like seven hundred be more plausible than six hundred and ninety nine?"

Riku shrugged. "I guess, but the Heartless aren't exactly a logical bunch. They're very erratic."

Then Sora's phone rang. He picked up and listened.

Kairi sighed, pushing a hand through her hair. "When are we going back to school? Everyone thinks we're dead, and it isn't fair."

"Tomorrow," said Sora.

"What? Tomorrow? Are you insane?"

"We have to set a date and stick to it. Otherwise we'll never return. In fact, let's go to Selphie, Wakka and Tidus' houses right now."

"Yep, you're insane."

Sora put on a jacket and saved the game, switching the PS3 off.

"I have a better idea. Let's go to the islet and wait for them. They're bound to go back at some point."

Sola stood up and walked upstairs. "I'm going to put some clothes on that I can swim in."

**X**

"So, when are you going to tell them that Halo is dead?" The man reached up and removed his EHT necklace, stuffing it into his pocket. He was wearing some loose jeans and a black shirt, walking through the halls of Disney Castle with the King and Queen.

King Mickey looked up at him. "When there is an appropriate time. He was a comrade, but he wasn't that close. Putting the last machine into reverse allowed his death and your rebirth. At least some good came out of it."

"I know."

"You can't run away. They'll find out eventually," said the Queen.

The man sighed. "I know they will. It's just so difficult."

"Sora and Sola are returning to school soon. If they can do that, you should be able to handle reappearing."

"They'd freak out if I showed up now, you know?" He rubbed a hand across his brow.

"You used to be so much braver."

"I still am! I'm just a little unaccustomed to the situation."

"You've done it before."

"This time it's different, though. I love them all to bits, but there's also the factor of media attention."

"You even left a secret message. Deep down you know you want them to find out."

" 'Keyblades destroy the dark'. You're right, I even dropped a huge hint to them in the library. Acrostic Onyx stepback code. I wrote Kayde Tede - K D T D - on the envelope and hid a message in my final letter."

_**K**ids, remember that death isn't the end, it's the very beggining. The beginning of_

_**E**ternia. As with all things,I can't say when I will die, but it's likely that_

_**y**ou will only be young when I do. We will never truly be seperated by death, I will_

_**b**e near you in some way or another. I'm sure of how I will meet you, my_

_**l**ittle children again, but it won't be in this form. It will surely be_

_**a**nother, although which of them cannot be determined. You'll_

_**d**iscover which later on in your lives. Spiritually, obviously, but when is yet to be confirmed._

_**E**very time something seems to go wrong, remember, at times everything can_

_**s**eem dark and frightening, but the truth and the right can win. __Someday you may feel _

_**t**hat you have to shoulder a great burden, but know that you have an option. Many things could happen, and you do not have to_

_**r**isk it if you choose not to. Whether or not you take it on is your choice, even if it is dumped right_

_**o**n you. I don't know what this burden could be, maybe starting your first year of college._

_**Y**ou can put it off if you want, but eventually, some things must be done._

_**T**o some people, life may seem unfair. It's true, it can be very topsy-turvy, but things do balance out._

_**H**iding out can sometimes be a good choice, other times you hide in a corner, and find it hard to_

_**e**ver get out again. Don't let this happen to you. It's happened a few times to me, and I still haven't learned._

_**D**o what you think is right, never allow anyone else to change your views. Be_

_**a**ware that there are people who would do you harm, but with your great minds it would be_

_**r**easonably easy to identify ways to get around any danger you may face._

_**K**eep yourselves safe, I want you to grow up to an age greater than whatever I do._

Salo sat down on the balcony railing, letting the gentle breeze ruffle through his hair. "Sora looks just like me, you know? And Sola is just like Sara. I can't believe I missed so much of their childhood. I'll watch and help from afar for now, but in a couple of years I want to see them again and be a family."

**X**

I originally planned for this to be the second-to-last, but I decided that I'd add the final one on the end. I hope you enjoyed reading it and didn't suffer too much from staring at the screen for so long. Again, sorry.


End file.
